Kristaps Porzingis is officially sidelined for at least the start of training camp with an undisclosed injury, hitting the Golden State Warriors immediately with the exact kind of bad news they absolutely did not need. This dude, their big offseason swing at a rim protector, hasn’t even hit the court with his new team, and he’s already back in the injury report. This isn’t just a minor setback for a team looking to build around Steph Curry for these “final couple of seasons” they’re talking about; this is a huge red flag waving right in their face.
A $40 Million Risk Already Hurting
The Warriors pulled the trigger on a two-year, $40 million deal for Porzingis, with a player option for the second season. That’s a significant chunk of change, and everyone knows the massive risk involved because of his notorious injury history. NBA insider Anthony Slater from ESPN reported the health issue on Monday, confirming Porzingis would be out indefinitely to kick off training camp. You sign a veteran center like that specifically to bolster your depth, and boom, he’s out before the first practice. It’s an immediate, undeniable blow to their frontcourt, which was already looking thin. This is the last thing any front office wants after investing big in an offseason acquisition.
Curry’s Pay Cut And The Bleak Outlook
It’s not just Porzingis raising eyebrows either. Over the weekend, Steph Curry, the face of that franchise, agreed to a contract extension where he actually took a pay cut. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel confirmed that the Warriors offered Curry the full two-year, $136.7 million max extension he was eligible for. But Curry himself told management he’d take a discount, signing for two years and $116 million instead. You gotta respect the guy for wanting to help the team, but it also screams of desperation. The Warriors haven’t exactly been making “meaningful signings” this offseason outside of Porzingis, and even re-signing Draymond Green felt more like a chess move to chase a “big name” than a true commitment to core stability. The word around the league is this season might be nothing more than a “gap year” for Golden State, and Porzingis’s early injury, coupled with speculation that Curry still hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury last season, just amplifies that concern. When your team doesn’t have much depth, any injury hurts, and right now, the Warriors are already down.
This injury bug has followed Porzingis throughout his career, and now it’s struck again right at the beginning of camp. The only silver lining here is that it’s happening now and not during a crucial stretch of the regular season. But honestly, for a team that’s already got depth issues and an aging superstar with his own recent injury history, this could very well be the start of an injury-riddled, frustrating season for Golden State. What kind of team shows up when the actual games start is anybody’s guess right now, but they desperately need Porzingis healthy, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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