The Golden State Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porziņģis before the trade deadline. The star center has only played one game in a Warriors uniform due to illness, but the latest reporting suggests he could return to the lineup soon.
Kristaps Porziņģis Joins Golden State Warriors for Next Road Trip
ESPN’s Anthony Slater provided the latest update on Porziņģis’ status for the Warriors’ upcoming three-game road trip.
“Kristaps Porziņģis is making the trip with the Warriors to Houston today, I’m told. No word yet on his playing status for next three (at Rockets, at Thunder, at Jazz) but notable development after staying back last road trip. He’s missed the last five games with general illness,” reported Slater.
Porziņģis has played only one game since Jan. 7, when he was still wearing an Atlanta Hawks uniform. He made his Golden State debut on Feb. 19 but sat out the next five contests with an illness. The Warriors lost three of these last five games, scoring under 110 in all three. They need Porziņģis’ versatile offensive skill set, especially while Stephen Curry recovers from a knee injury.
Porziņģis’s ability to spread the floor from the center position fits seamlessly with the Warriors’ offensive system. He shoots 36.3% from deep on 5.1 attempts per game this season. Golden State takes 45.4 3-pointers and makes 16.3 per game. Both numbers lead the league. Porziņģis’ playmaking from the high, mid, and low post will allow Curry to use his elite off-ball movement to find open looks when he returns.
Porziņģis averages 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks for the campaign. However, he has played in just 18 total games due to Achilles tendinitis and illness. The 30-year-old revealed that doctors diagnosed him with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) just before the 2025-26 campaign started. However, the reporting surrounding this condition took a turn in recent weeks.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh regarding Porziņģis’ illness.
“I read about the POTS diagnosis and called the Hawks [general manager], Onsi Saleh … He’s a good friend of mine, and I said, ‘Is this POTS story real?’ He said it’s actually not POTS. That was some misinformation that was out there,” said Kerr.
Days later, Kerr took back his comments surrounding Porziņģis’ illness.
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“It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something I’m not qualified to talk about … Even trying to discuss the diagnosis, that was a mistake. I need to leave that to professionals,” he admitted.
Golden State starts its road trip on March 5 against the Houston Rockets before facing the Oklahoma City Thunder two days later. The struggling Warriors could certainly use Porziņģis’ offensive boost against two elite defenses. They only had the 21st-ranked offensive rating (112.0) in February.
