Golden State has officially stopped paying Kristaps Porziņģis, a bombshell move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater on Wednesday morning. This isn’t just a minor administrative snag. The Warriors decided to cut off his salary because the All-Star center is apparently not “rendering services,” and frankly, this whole situation is getting wild.
The Porziņģis Saga Just Got Real
The decision to freeze Porziņģis’ payments, which usually go out twice a month in the NBA, comes right after news broke that the 31-year old is thinking about stepping away from basketball entirely. On top of that, the Dubs are out there exploring trade options for him, which tells you everything about where their heads are at. This whole fiasco has been brewing since February when Golden State acquired him at the trade deadline in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga. Porziņģis hasn’t even been around the team since training camp kicked off. He supposedly hit up Jimmy Butler III’s pre-camp retreat, but it sounds like he wasn’t exactly feeling the team vibe. Then, the day before the squad was set to jet off to Hawaii for camp, he just flat out told them he wasn’t coming.
Frustration Boils Over in Golden State
Things have only spiraled from there. We heard Porziņģis showed up at the facility to meet with head trainer Rick Celebrini and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., but he hasn’t done any team activities or even been around the squad since. When you hear Steve Kerr and Steph Curry talk about it, you can practically feel the deep frustration from the Warriors. Their message has been clear: they don’t see Porziņģis’ absence as justified, not like it would be for a legitimate injury, or even like when they gave Andrew Wiggins space to be with his ailing father. And now, stopping his payments only confirms how serious they are. Here’s the kicker though: the ESPN report says the Warriors aren’t looking to void his contract. Why? Because they want to keep that $20 million salary on their books for trade purposes. That’s right, even if they aren’t paying him, they can still use that figure to make a deal. To put it in perspective, the last time a team withheld payments from a player was last season, when the Miami Heat did it with Terry Rozier after he got caught up in a gambling scandal.
So what’s next in this bizarre story? We’ll have to see if Porziņģis and the Players Association decide to appeal Golden State’s call. Meanwhile, the Warriors are still stuck in a tough spot, trying to figure out how to move a player they’re no longer paying.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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