Bill Simmons is wondering whether the Golden State Warriors ever expected Kristaps Porziņģis to play this season. He also suggested the center’s contract could eventually become useful in a trade.

Porziņģis has yet to take the court for Golden State and remains away from the team while dealing with health concerns. His situation has raised some pressing questions about what the Warriors plan to do with his contract.

Bill Simmons Questions Warriors’ Kristaps Porziņģis Situation

Simmons raised the possibility during the mailbag portion of Friday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” alongside longtime guest Joe House.

“Did they know this whole time that there was no way he was gonna actually play? Conspiracy Bill would like to weigh in here. They don’t seem upset that he’s basically not been going to the facilities and that they don’t know what the deal is with him,” he said.

“If Mitchell Robinson was doing this for the Celtics, everybody would be, like, ‘What the [expletive] is going on? Where’s Mitchell Robinson? We just paid him $15 million.’”

The Ringer founder also mentioned Draymond Green, whose salary could factor into the hypothetical deal: “The Warriors all seem good with this. Conspiracy Bill signs off on this. I actually believe maybe this was intentional. … Draymond Green, who makes $27 million a year, and say you combine $27 million and $20 million, and now you can get any max player.”

The salaries could help Golden State build a trade package, but they would not automatically open the door to any max player.

Golden State acquired Porziņģis from the Atlanta Hawks in February. The Latvian big man averaged 16.1 points across 15 games after the trade, having missed 90 regular-season games over the previous two seasons.

ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that only $3 million of Porziņģis’ $20 million salary next season is guaranteed. The extension also kept him immediately eligible for a trade rather than requiring the Warriors to wait until Dec. 15.

However, Slater emphasized that general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office signed Porziņģis expecting him to contribute to the rotation at points this season.

The former Boston Celtics center was working out at the team’s facility in the days leading up to training camp before stepping away because of health concerns that have not been publicly detailed.

Slater also reported an extreme level of pessimism within the organization about Porziņģis ever playing for Golden State. His contract could still have value in a trade, although Simmons’ suggestion that the Warriors planned for that outcome remains speculation.

Porziņģis announced Friday that he was stepping away from basketball for the time being.

“At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love,” he wrote.

The 2024 NBA champion has not retired and remains under contract with Golden State. His $20 million salary could factor into a potential trade, depending on the applicable league rules and the terms of any deal, while the organization and Porziņģis work through his situation.