It hasn’t been a good stretch for Kristaps Porzingis, who once starred for the New York Knicks but now isn’t playing for the Golden State Warriors.
Porzingis is a long way from his NBA peak, and it’s not clear whether he’s even going to play another game or if he’s going to retire.
In the meantime, the Warriors apparently still are thinking about trading him, too, if any other team would take that chance.
The news that came out on Wednesday, though, was about something more nuanced — Porzingis’ contract, and whether the Warriors should be paying him anything while he’s not on the court for them.
Kristaps Porzingis News
ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania reported Wednesday morning that the Warriors aren’t making the contract payments to Porzingis that each NBA player usually gets.
“The Golden State Warriors are not delivering semimonthly payments to veteran center Kristaps Porzingis on his $20 million salary, league sources told ESPN, ruling that the currently absent center is not rendering his services,” Slater and Charania write. “General manager Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors’ front office are still actively pursuing trade avenues utilizing Porzingis’ contract even as the 31-year-old leans toward ending his NBA career.”
There would actually be merit to another team taking Porzingis on board for contract and salary cap reasons — not for playing purposes.
“For rival teams, absorbing Porzingis’ near-expiring salary could either allow them to move a longer-term salary out to save money (plus clear a roster spot via buyout) or theoretically net a draft asset, depending on what the Warriors are willing to attach,” Slater and Charania write. “The Warriors have no current plans on voiding Porzingis’ contract, team sources said, maintaining trade flexibility up until the Feb. 11 deadline. Porzingis is not actively disputing the lack of payments and the player’s association has no plan to dispute either, league sources said.”
What’s Wrong With Kristaps Porzingis?
This is how Slater and Charania describe the situation:
After battling an elongated health issue the past two seasons, Porzingis signed a two-year, $40 million extension with the Warriors this summer (only $3 million guaranteed in the second season). But on the eve of training camp, he called Dunleavy and stepped away from the team. The Warriors gave him some space initially but expected him to return to the facility and be around his teammates and the medical staff in his recovery, team sources said.
After a meeting with Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini, the team’s lead medical decision-maker, in early October, the team sent out a statement declaring he would be around. It didn’t last. Porzingis left the facility, hasn’t returned and the organization shifted his official status from out with “general illness” (as they’d listed during his absences last season) to “not with team,” a purposeful change.
It was a struggle for Porzingis and medical personnel to figure out what he was dealing with, but after making some progress over the last year or two, it still hasn’t been enough insight to get Porzingis back on the court. At this point, it’s not clear whether he’ll ever play another NBA game.
Ex-Knicks Star Kristaps Porzingis Gets $20 Million Bad News