Warriors' Kristaps Porziņģis stepping away from basketball to deal with ongoing health issues

Golden State Warriors big man Kristaps Porziņģis announced Friday that he has "made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love" as he continues to deal with mysterious health issues. It's unclear when, or if, the 31-year-old Porziņģis will return to the court.

Porziņģis has not played for the Warriors this season and reports earlier this week indicated that the team is withholding payments from him. He signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Warriors in free agency this summer, but the second year of the deal only has a $3 million guarantee.

Here is Porziņģis' full statement announcing his decision to step away from basketball:

This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn't respond the way I anticipated.

I'm doing good, but I know what it takes, and I'm not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself. At this point, I've made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love.

In this situation, I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense.

I'm thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support.

Porziņģis' career has been defined by health problems. He's played more than 57 games just three times since he was drafted No. 4 overall by the New York Knicks in 2015, and has dealt with significant injuries, including a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2018-19 season. In recent years, he's been limited by this mysterious illness that first became an issue in Boston during the 2024-25 season.

Porziņģis started dealing with extreme fatigue and previously disclosed a diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, which is characterized by rapid changes in heart rate when a person stands up and can lead to exhaustion and dizziness.

"You know how people say, 'Oh, I'm so fatigued.' I've never used those words. I don't even like to speak in those terms, but I really was like that," Porziņģis said ahead of last season. "At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat."

Porziņģis has been away from Warriors since September

Over the last three seasons with the Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Warriors, Porziņģis has only played 74 games. He has been away from the Warriors since late September and released a previous statement in mid-October shutting down rumors that he had been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. At that point, the Warriors said Porziņģis would be out indefinitely.

"Hello people, I'm working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap. Honestly, I'm getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I'll be feeling great again soon," Porziņģis wrote. "It has definitely been frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career, so it has added up for sure, but we will get through it. Health is wealth. Thank you for all the support."

The Warriors hoped that Porziņģis would play a big role this season as a floor-spacing big, especially while Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon) remain sidelined. Instead, it seems more likely that he will never play for the franchise again.

The Warriors have reportedly been trying to trade Porziņģis to use his $20 million cap figure, as explained by CBS Sports' Sam Quinn:

While he would not have trade value as a player given his health status, he is essentially an expiring contract with only that small $3 million guarantee on the books for next season. That could potentially make him valuable to a team looking to move off of longer-term money, or the Warriors could entice another team into a trade using draft picks with Porziņģis serving only as the matching salary.

Kristaps Porziņģis trade destinations: Three viable moves the Warriors could make to improve their roster

Sam Quinn

Despite Porziņģis' absence, the Warriors are off to a 6-3 start, putting them in seventh place in the extremely crowded Western Conference standings. Rookie big man Yaxel Lendeborg has stepped up in Porziņģis' place and provided a major boost on both ends of the floor.

Through nine games, Lendeborg is averaging 21 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 49.2% from the field, including 39.6% from 3-point range.