The situation of Kristaps Porzingis is on track to become, if it isn’t already, one of the strangest episodes the NBA has ever seen. It’s not merely that his ongoing absences due to health issues have been eroding his career for many years, but the complete lack of information surrounding his condition has created an atmosphere of uncertainty with nothing solid to cling to. A climate that the Golden State Warriors have done nothing to change.
Mike Dunleavy, general manager of the franchise, has limited himself to saying that the Latvian is out indefinitely due to “a health issue,” and as ambiguous and hollow as that phrase may be, that is all there is. When Steve Kerr was asked about it, his response was equally succinct, and suggested that even the coaching staff isn’t clear on how the situation is evolving.
“I’ll reach out to him today to see how he’s doing, but for now there are no updates,” the coach commented.
And the same goes for the players. Al Horford also had the chance to speak about the case, but the Dominican simply noted that within the roster they don’t really know what’s happening: “The truth is we don’t have much information. All we can do is wait for him to recover and keep working.”
#Warriors center Al Horford said he hasn’t been able to talk to Kristaps Porzingis, said he hasn’t seen Porzingis.
Asked how teammates were dealing with concern/confusion.
“We just don’t have much information. So I think for us it’s just hoping he gets right, gets better.” https://t.co/IDYQHkpo70
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) October 8, 2026
The Odd Renewal
Thus, with the preseason already underway and the start of the regular season just around the corner, there isn’t even an approximate date or any abstract estimate of when Porzingis might return. Every question regarding the topic is answered with a slightly more refined version of “I have no idea,” which makes it impossible to analyze what can be expected from him or the team for the upcoming season.
Nevertheless, what makes this situation even more peculiar is that the Warriors had just bet on Kristaps this summer, signing him to a two-year extension worth $40 million that, one would assume, would not have been offered in the absence of some certainty about his availability. But given the current circumstances, it’s hard to trust that was the case. Until proven otherwise, that extension is starting to look less like a calculated risk and more like a lottery ticket.
Porzingis arrived in Golden State last February, and although he played his first game with the team right after the All-Star Break, he did not suit up again for nearly three weeks. The center managed to find some continuity in the season’s closing stretch, which allowed him to appearances in 15 of the Warriors’ 32 games since arriving, finishing the season with 32 appearances.
