Kristaps Porziņģis remains unavailable for the Golden State Warriors as the team prepares for its regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21, sidelined by an undisclosed illness nine days before play begins.
The 7-foot-3 center, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Warriors in the offseason, has not participated in training camp or any of the team's four preseason games. The Warriors announced in September that Porziņģis would be out indefinitely ahead of camp in Hawaii. General Manager Mike Dunleavy stated at the time that he was not marking him down as out for the season start, calling it an early situation where overreacting was unwarranted.
Coach Steve Kerr offered minimal updates on October 8, saying he had texted with Porziņģis, who he described as "doing OK," but planned to reach out for a more detailed check-in. Porziņģis has not addressed the media since April.
Neither the Warriors nor Porziņģis have disclosed the nature of the current illness or whether it relates to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition characterized by rapid heart rate changes upon standing that can cause exhaustion and dizziness. Porziņģis was diagnosed with POTS late in his final season with the Boston Celtics in 2025 after experiencing extreme fatigue.
Porziņģis averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 15 games with the Warriors following a midseason trade from Atlanta last season, but shot just 43.3 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from 3-point range. His career has been marked by durability concerns. He has reached 65 games played just three times in 10 seasons, appearing in only 57, 42 and 32 games respectively over his last three years with Boston, Atlanta and Golden State.
The Warriors also have Jimmy Butler sidelined with a torn ACL and Moses Moody out with a torn patellar tendon, leaving approximately $90 million in salary cap tied to injured players. Dunleavy said in August that roster construction forced a choice between talent and availability, and the team leaned toward talent given their needs around aging stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green. The second year of Porziņģis' deal carries only a $3 million partial guarantee.