The Warriors got some clarity on Kristaps Porziņģis’s future amid a longstanding health issue, and it’s not the outcome that anyone had hoped.

On Friday, the “Unicorn” announced that his health is in a good place, but he’s not where he needs to be to play basketball at the highest level. As a product of that unfortunate reality, Porziņģis said he made a decision to step away from the NBA. He did not announce his retirement—that word wasn’t included anywhere in his statement—and he remains under contract with Golden State, but the next time we see him on a basketball court will be an unknown for the foreseeable future.

“This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group,” Porziņģis’s statement on his X account read, “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.”

🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/d0UoELOmye

— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) November 6, 2026

Injuries have hampered Porziņģis throughout his NBA career. This prolonged health issue is nothing close to your run-of-the-mill injury. After his heroics helped Boston win the 2024 NBA Finals, Porziņģis missed time the following season with what was then an unidentified illness. He was traded to Atlanta over that offseason and revealed he was dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can dramatically increase a patient's heart rate while standing instead of while resting horizontally.

“It hit me, and it hit me like a truck,” Porzingis told The Athletic’s Fred Katz late last year. “The breathing wasn't good. I did everything I could potentially to feel as good as I could, but my engine wasn't running the way I wanted. 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. At that time, I could lay on the couch and be a house cat.”

The Hawks traded Porziņģis to the Warriors at last season’s trade deadline as Golden State parted ways with disgruntled forward Jonathan Kuminga. Porziņģis played 15 games after he arrived with the Warriors and signed a two-year, $40 million extension to remain with the franchise over the offseason.

Porziņģis and the Warriors clearly felt good enough about his health to agree to a new deal and keep him as a weapon around Steph Curry. However, he wasn’t around the team in training camp and was ruled out indefinitely ahead of the season due to the ongoing health issues. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported that the Warriors were not delivering payments to Porziņģis for his contracted salary because he is not rendering his services. That came after earlier reporting that the Latvian big man was “seriously contemplating” his future in basketball amid the ongoing health struggles.

Now, Porziņģis’s NBA career is officially on pause and we’ll hope his condition continues to improve. Hopefully he gets to a spot where he can make a triumphant return to the league. His health is the most important matter in the situation, but his continued absence does have an impact on the Warriors’ season even if they’re off to a strong 6–3 start.

Golden State has a handful of options should the franchise decide to do something about Porziņģis’s contract during the season.

What are the Warriors’ options with Kristaps Porziņģis stepping away from the NBA?

Although Porziņģis’s new contract with the Warriors is for two seasons at $20 million annually, only $3 million is guaranteed next year. That makes his salary very close to a $20 million expiring deal, which is valuable on the trade market even if you aren’t getting anything on the floor out of the player.

The first option that the Warriors would likely prefer is a trade where they get a usable player for giving another team salary cap relief next season and (potentially) beyond. Should Golden State outright trade Porziņģis just to get off his salary, the Warriors would need to attach draft capital, which they are not flush with as a result of other moves.

Slater reported on Friday the Warriors have no plans to void Porziņģis’s contract as they evaluate the trade market, which doesn’t truly get going until Dec. 15 when players who signed new contracts over the offseason are eligible to be traded. Porziņģis is not under any trade restriction himself. While voiding his contract is technically a possibility, this path forward does not seem truly on the table.

Another option is a buyout agreement, which would reduce the amount of his current salary in exchange for his release. This could happen after a trade, too, should the Warriors send his contract elsewhere. Buyouts usually happen when a player tries to steer himself to another team, however. That makes a buyout tricky and not the cleanest path forward as Porziņģis likely doesn’t have serious plans to return to basketball this season. ESPN did report that he would be open to a post-trade buyout where a team could save on his $3 million of guaranteed money next season for further flexibility.

In Friday’s statement, Porziņģis said he wants to work with the Warriors to find the best solution, which could signify his willingness to agree on a buyout. Especially because he’s not receiving payments on his salary currently. “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,” he wrote.

The last option for the Warriors is to do nothing and leave Porziņģis’s contract on the books this season and likely part ways before the deal is fully guaranteed for next season. That path is debatably the most unrealistic because Golden State can’t sit still with Curry’s career winding down. With $20 million tied to Porziņģis and $56.8 million attached to Jimmy Butler, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, an extremely large chunk of the team’s payroll is allotted to players who are not available.

Butler should return at some point later this season, but even if the team stays afloat until then, Porziņģis’s $20 million could be used elsewhere. The Warriors are currently about $350,000 under the second apron, a threshold no team wants to exceed. Getting Porziņģis’s money off the cap sheet is critical to stay away from the second apron and, hopefully, gain a player who can help the current roster.

Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg’s immediate arrival as a premier two-way player has been huge for the Warriors, but the team still needs some help to truly compete with the top dogs in the Western Conference. A Porziņģis trade could get complicated, but the fact that his contract is close to a $20 million expiring deal will entice teams who want flexibility come trade season.

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