Golden State Warriors Still Seeking Trade for Porzingis as His Contract Could Appeal to Other Teams

The Golden State Warriors, a club in the National Basketball Association (NBA), North America's professional basketball league, are still looking for ways to trade Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis, according to analysts Marc Stein and Jake Fischer. A deal will not be simple, but the terms of the Liepaja native's contract may appeal to other teams.

On Friday, November 6, Porzingis announced he would step away from basketball for an indefinite period. ESPN had earlier reported that he was leaning toward ending his NBA career. Despite this, his contract could still interest several clubs.

Contract terms

Porzingis is due $20 million (about €17.9 million) for the 2026-27 season, while only $3 million (about €2.69 million) is guaranteed for 2027-28. After a trade, he could also agree to end the contract early by giving up part of his salary. A team parting with a player on a longer deal could thereby ease its financial situation over the long term.

What the Warriors want

To replace Porzingis, Golden State wants to acquire another big man who could start. The analysts note that such a deal might require additional compensation. Executives from three NBA clubs told Stein and Fischer that giving up a starting-caliber big man in exchange for Porzingis would also require draft picks. The Warriors are reluctant to part with them but would be willing to consider it to land the "right player".

The club would like to trade Porzingis by December 16. That would allow the acquired player to be included, together with other players, in another trade before the NBA trade deadline on February 11, 2027.

If no suitable deal materialised, the Warriors could then negotiate a buyout of his contract with Porzingis themselves. However, the team's payroll would still exceed the NBA salary cap, so the money earmarked for his salary could not simply be redirected to sign another free agent.