The Golden State Warriors Kristaps Porzingis saga is expected to come to an end before the end of the year, according to a report by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Porzingis, who re-signed with the Dubs last season on a partially guaranteed two-year, $40 million deal, opted not to join the team for training camp and has accepted not receiving payments, seemingly deciding to retire. However, hoping to make the best out of an unexpected situation, the Warriors are hoping to use Porzingis’ salary essentially
as a trade exception. While that was all known, Siegel’s reporting suggests the front office is expected to trade Porzingis by December 16th.
“For starters, Porzingis’ time with the Warriors is over,” Siegel wrote. “He will not be playing another game for this franchise, as ClutchPoints reported on Oct. 23 before the team’s first game of the season, and it’s almost a given he will be traded, likely within the next 30-40 days… Much like how the Warriors traded for Dennis Schroder in the middle of December during the 2024-25 season, only to re-aggregate him in a bigger deal for Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, league sources are anticipating a similar strategy this time around with Porzingis.”
Siegel notes that players who signed free agent contracts this offseason will all become trade-eligible on December 15th, which will also give teams more options on that day. Moreover, December 16th is the deadline for a player to be traded and still be eligible to be aggregated in a deal at the trade deadline in February. So while it’s definitely possible for a deal to be made sooner, that effectively becomes the deadline for the Warriors front office if they would like to make a smaller move with Porzingis that would leave them flexibility to still go looking for bigger fish at the deadline.
Siegel’s reporting does not even engage with a scenario where the Warriors do not trade Porzingis in December. It’s worth wondering if they would simply hold onto him until the trade deadline if they did not receive an offer that enticed them enough before. With the Warriors 6-3 and looking like a legit playoff team, though, the front office should be less inclined to slow play adding depth to the roster.
