Kristaps

Porziņģis

Porziņģis’ announcement notes that he is not where he wants to be at this time and is stepping away to focus on his health. Nothing changes from a fantasy perspective, as KP hasn’t played a game this season. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg should continue to see big minutes in the frontcourt.

Porziņģis re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year, $40 million deal at the start of free agency. Since then, Porziņģis hasn’t really been around the team, and there have been reports that the team doesn’t expect him to suit up for them again. This won’t help those odds, and if Porziņģis suits up this season, it seems likely it will be for a different team. However, a team could trade for Porziņģis with the intention to buy him out to save some money.

Porziņģis is already considered “out indefinitely”, and there doesn’t seem to be any positive update coming soon. There really isn’t much clarity here, but the report indicates that sources in the team aren’t planning on Porziņģis suiting up for them again, and they could use his salary in a trade. If he plays this season, regardless of who it’s for, he should be productive. However, it doesn’t seem likely, so he can be dropped to the waiver wire.

Porziņǵis, who has struggled with health issues for the last two seasons, missed Golden State’s first five preseason games due to what the Warriors describe as a “health-related matter.” He’ll remain sidelined indefinitely, giving Gui Santos and Yaxel Lendeborg more opportunities in the frontcourt. Both appear on track to start the regular season, with Lendeborg offering higher fantasy upside. Al Horford is expected to be limited to 20 minutes, so he offers little fantasy value. As for Porziņǵis, fantasy managers should avoid drafting him, especially in standard leagues.

Hopefully this will provide more clarity as to when Porziņģis will be available to suit up. As of now, Steve Kerr said he is “leaning towards” starting Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green on opening night. Whenever he gets healthy, Porziņģis will be a significant piece in the Warriors’ rotation.

There still isn’t much clarity as to what Porziņģis is dealing with, and the team doesn’t know when he’ll be back around. Porziņģis has had plenty of health issues over the last few seasons, and that may continue to prevent him from being available as the season starts. He signed a two-year contract to remain with the Warriors back in June.

Porziņǵis has appeared in only 74 games across the last two seasons, and availability will be a major concern heading into the 2026-27 season. Al Horford and Draymond Green are well past their primes, and Jimmy Butler is still on the mend after tearing his right ACL in January. With so many frontcourt minutes up for grabs, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is a fascinating late-round selection with upside.

Acquired from the Hawks at the trade deadline, injuries and a lingering illness limited Porziņǵis to 15 appearances for the Warriors last season. The veteran center played just 32 games overall, averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers in 24.0 minutes. Porziņǵis’ contract includes a player option for the second season. While he’s certainly capable of being a highly impactful option for fantasy managers when available, injuries have been a major concern for Porziņǵis in recent seasons.

Horford declined his player option, but is staying with the Warriors on a two-year deal. Horford turned 40 earlier this month and is entering his 20th season in the NBA. He’ll be the 13th player in league history to reach 20 seasons. Horford’s return is the first move in securing Golden State’s frontline for the upcoming season. The organization is in talks to bring Kristaps Porzingis back on a short-term contract and expects Draymond Green to exercise his player option. A part-time player at this point of his career, Horford doesn’t carry much fantasy value. He averaged career-lows in points, rebounds and minutes last season.

Porziņġis had been upgraded from questionable to available, marking good news for the Warriors. The veteran center posted a 20/5/5/1/2 line against the Clippers in the team’s Play-In Tournament win on Wednesday and will have a good chance to land strong production on Friday.