Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has reacted to reports that Kristaps Porzingis is sidelined indefinitely with a health issue, which has led the Latvian player to consider retirement.
“It’s a hard one for all reasons,” Curry said after the Warriors’ 127-105 Opening Night loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
“Personally, first and foremost. Then us as a team…We always said availability was a big factor for our team. It’s no secret that (center) spot was an important one for us, especially with the skillset,” added Curry.
Kristaps Porzingis to Retire?
The four-time NBA champion addressed reports of Porzingis possibly walking away from the sport due to recurring POTS symptoms.
“It’s hard to talk about it without keeping the humanity in mind,” Curry said, sympathizing with Porzingis’ situation.
“But it is tought to figure out for the now and the future,” he continued. “Again, we had a good look of what we were supposed to be as a team. We have to overcome that obviously, but we’d love to have him here.”
Curry revealed he hadn’t spoken to Porzingis since the start of training camp.
Further to Curry’s point, Porzingis was slated to be the starting center of the Warriors after he inked a two-year, $40M extension this offseason. After saying all the right things through the summer, Porzingis began experiencing symptoms of POTS closer to training camp, dealing a devastating blow to Golden State’s plans.
Warriors Face Bleak Future
Porzingis reportedly met with Mike Dunleavy and Warriors medical chief Rick Celebrini on Oct. 13 to discuss his future with the franchise. During that conversation, he said he was strongly considering walking away from the sport.
“As noted last week, conversations between the Warriors, Kristaps, and his representatives will remain private,” Warriors wrote in a statement issued Wednesday.
“We are not anticipating Kristaps being around the team in the immediate future. We’ll provide additional updates when available and appropriate.”
The Warriors are reportedly exploring trade roues for Porzingis. There has also been chatter of the franchise possibly buying out Porzingis or applying for an exception with the league office due to the Latvian’s health issue.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry Breaks Silence on Kristaps Porzingis Crisis