The Golden State Warriors have stopped paying veteran center Kristaps Porziņģis because he is not performing the services stipulated in his contract, league sources have confirmed. Athletics.
Porziņģis and the National Basketball Players Association currently have no plans to challenge the Warriors’ decision, a league source said.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
Porziņģis, who has been away from the team since late September, signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Warriors last summer that only has $3 million guaranteed for next season. Yet the Warriors’ position is that Porziņģis, who has long battled medical issues that have kept him from playing, has not been excused by the team during this extended absence.
Based on his salary, Porziņģis loses approximately $218,000 per game.
In the midst of one of the most bizarre situations in recent NBA memory, Golden State is considering trading him to a team looking for salary cap relief in exchange for a functional center, according to league sources.
The entire Porziņģis saga, which has loomed over the Warriors since the team acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks just before last February’s trade deadline, has come to a head heading into this season. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy announced on September 28 that Porziņģis would not travel to Hawaii for training camp due to an undisclosed health issue. The team hoped that Porziņģis would rejoin the group shortly after his return, but that did not happen.
Porziņģis, 31, previously revealed a diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which was initially thought to be the cause of his absence. He met in mid-October with Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini, the team’s vice president of player health and performance. After that meeting, Golden State announced that Porziņģis would remain out indefinitely “due to health reasons” but would “be on the team.”
A week later, however, the Warriors announced that Porziņģis would not be with the team.
Porziņģis, meanwhile, addressed the issue on social media on October 14.
I appreciate all the internet doctors trying to diagnose and help, but I’m in the best hands. So everyone can relax now 😄🙏🏼 and I don’t have HIV or AIDS.
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) October 14, 2026
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has largely avoided commenting on Porziņģis’ day-to-day situation, but said Monday that he had not spoken to Porziņģis last week and did not know where the center was.
In an interview with 98.5 The Game last February, Kerr said Hawks president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh told him Porziņģis wasn’t taking care of POTS. Kerr later apologized, calling it a “stupid mistake” to comment on something he was not qualified to speak about.
Months later, the organization and Porziņģis’ camp still appear to be at odds behind the scenes over what exactly is keeping the 31-year-old off the field. Dunleavy and Kerr have publicly cited only a health issue, while Porziņģis’ continued absence has fueled speculation that he may retire from the sport.
Regardless, the Warriors remain in limbo with Porziņģis’ contract. The team hopes to incorporate his contract into a larger move and use the salary slot on its roster now and in the future, according to team sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations. But the team is preparing for the possibility that this situation continues until the trade deadline in February.
ESPN was the first to report the news.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr provided an update on Porziņģis’ situation following practice on Wednesday.
Does he expect Porziņģis to be back with the Warriors this season?
“I have no idea,” Kerr said. “All I’m doing is just coaching the guys that are here. I’m excited about it and we’re going to let it all play out.”
Has he received an explanation as to why Porziņģis is not at least with the team since he remains out?
“I haven’t been given one, nor am I asking for one,” he said.
Would Kerr like to see the Warriors add another active body in place of Porziņģis?
“Until there’s a decision to be made, I don’t even think about it,” Kerr said. “We’ve had a lot of depth. We showed it the other night, the last two nights actually. A lot of guys are missing games and we keep finding ways to win. And I love our group – they’re really competitive, really connected. And they get back up, and that’s all you can ask for. And now it’s our job as a team to continue to help them see what we’re trying to accomplish. And that just means whoever is here every day, we work with these guys, and we continue to build momentum.
Warriors big man Al Horford, who played with Porziņģis on the Boston Celtics, said he texted with Porziņģis a few weeks ago and gave Kerr credit for how he handled the whole situation.
“It’s something that definitely exists,” Horford said of the ongoing situation. “But I think what’s helped is we have a more veteran group here, and I just think everyone, starting with Coach Kerr – and then it goes down – everyone is just focusing on what we have on hand. Focusing on the group we have here. The guys are working really hard and we’re trying to put ourselves in position to win games. Those are the things we can control.”
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