Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out indefinitely by the Golden State Warriors due to an undisclosed health issue, the team announced at media day on Monday. The 31-year-old Latvian center will not travel with the squad to Hawaii for the start of training camp.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said he was informed of Porzingis's status on Sunday and could not offer specifics about the nature of the problem or a timeline for his return. "He was in last week, doing well and everything. I don't have a timeline on it," Dunleavy told reporters. "Hopefully he will be back soon."
Dunleavy stopped short of ruling Porzingis out for the October 21 season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. "I think we feel comfortable with everything — disappointed that he won't be out there tomorrow, but it's early, so don't want to overreact to anything," he said.
Coach Steve Kerr described the news as "surprising," adding: "We're going to get going with camp and fully expect him to be with us at some point. There's not a whole lot to report at this time."
Porzingis joined Golden State at the February trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks, arriving alongside a two-year, $40 million agreement signed in late June. His impact was limited last season — he played only 15 games for the Warriors, averaging 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23.7 minutes — but the pairing with Steph Curry was viewed as a key piece of the franchise's competitive outlook.
Availability has been a persistent concern for the 7-foot-4 center. Porzingis has played more than 60 games in a season only once since 2017 and was diagnosed with a rare nervous system condition called POTS that has kept him off the court for extended stretches in previous years.
The setback compounds an already complicated injury picture for Golden State. Jimmy Butler III is recovering from ACL surgery, while Moses Moody is rehabbing from a patellar tendon procedure. Both have progressed to light on-court work and will attend training camp but are not expected to be ready for opening night.
"Forget one, but having two guys that aren't going to be ready to start the season that are key rotation players — really good players," Dunleavy said. "We're in a bind in that regard, but I think we've done the best we could at improving the roster to a point where we have some depth."
Sources
https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/kristaps-porzingis-out-indefinitely-to-start-warriors-training-camp-due-to-health-issue https://abc7news.com/post/warriors-kristaps-porzingis-health-issue/19884016/
