The Golden State Warriors are once again facing the very uncertain status of star big man Kristaps Porzingis, as the center is dealing with the ‘mystery illness’ once again and is expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Porzingis has been away from the team, and as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently mentioned, the 31-year-old remains out indefinitely as Golden State ramps up for the new year.
Subsequent updates on Porzingis’ health have not been positive, as despite signing the Latvian to a new deal this summer, there’s no timeline for the center to get back on the court, with the latest report on his status seen as ‘very concerning’ for the Warriors.
Warriors Get ‘Very Concerning’ Kristaps Porzingis Health Update
After recent comments made by Kerr painting an uncertain and dark picture of Porzingis’ health status, NBA insider Brett Siegel handed Golden State a sharp warning on the player who was previously expected to play a big role for the team this season.
Speaking on a recent episode of his Clutch Scoops show, Siegel made it clear the Warriors should start getting nervous about Porzingis, as he’s now fully expected to miss the start of the upcoming campaign.
“I’ve been told that Golden State is bracing for Porzingis to miss the start of the season,” the insider said. “There’s just no word on what his timetable looks like, how long he’s going to be out, what he’s even dealing with at this point. And so definitely very concerning for the Warriors.”
“It could be something that even lingers into November at this point. We just don’t know.”
Porzingis was traded to the Warriors at the previous deadline, at a point when he was reportedly dealing with the same health concern. He was in and out of the lineup, but finished the year playing 15 games and putting up 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in that span.
“He dealt with this in Atlanta,” Siegel’s co-host Tomer Azarly said. “He got traded here, was on and off until he felt like they finally found it, then it was back on again.”
Porzingis, if healthy, is expected to play a big role on the Warriors this season, but for now, his health status is keeping him off the court, with an unknown return date for the time being.
Head Coach Steve Kerr On Big Man’s Health
Kerr has spoken to the media several times to offer Porzingis health updates, but none of them have been positive.
A few days ago, the Warriors head coach gave his initial ‘concerning’ comments that put the center’s playing status in question less than two weeks before the start of the regular season.
“I haven’t seen him yet…Yeah, I mean, you know, we want him back. He’s a really talented player, and so we thought that he was in a pretty good place. So it’s definitely concerning,” Kerr said, per Luca Evans of The San Francisco Chronicle. “And so, as I said, all we’re going to do is support him, give him every bit of medical help he can get, and emotional support, and hope that he’s back soon.”
At first, Kerr didn’t rule out Porzingis starting the season, and instead just said that he remained out indefinitely. But most recently, Kerr spoke again about Porzingis, but said there’s been no change in his status so far.
“He’s not here today,” Kerr said Thursday. “We’ve obviously been in Hawaii and Portland. So we just came in and we worked out the vets, had a really good practice. And yeah, so I’ll reach out to KP today and check in with him, but nothing new.”
Asked if he + team knew behind-the-scenes what exactly Porzingis is dealing with.
“No.”
Though the Kerr and the Warriors haven’t officially ruled out Porzingis to start the season, if his previous bouts with the health concern, as well as Siegel’s comments, say anything, he won’t be joining Golden State for the season-opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, and likely longer after that.
Porzingis remains out indefinitely, and until Kerr or anyone from Golden State offers another health update, his status will stay that way with less than two weeks before the regular season starts.
Warriors Get Scary News With ‘Very Concerning’ Kristaps Porzingis Update