Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave the most concerning answer imaginable when asked if the team has an exact sense of what Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with behind the scenes: “No.” That’s it. Just “No.” Forget what you thought you knew, because right now, nobody in the organization seems to know where “The Unicorn” is, physically or health-wise. This isn’t just a tough break, it’s a massive problem that is hitting a team that made a substantial investment.
The Disappearing Act and Zero Answers
It’s official: there have been no sightings of Kristaps Porzingis around the Chase Center. As of Thursday, Kerr admitted he hadn’t gotten a better sense of Porzingis’s physical location. He actually said, “He’s not here, today , I have not.” Kerr mentioned the team had been in Hawaii and Portland, only just getting back to work out the vets, and that he planned to “reach out to KP today and check in with him.” General Manager Mike Dunleavy initially relayed news in late September that Porzingis was out indefinitely with a health issue. A day later, Kerr called it “day-to-day.” But nine days later, it’s clear things haven’t gotten clearer. Even Al Horford, who played with Porzingis for two seasons in Boston, said he hasn’t talked to him and added, “We just don’t have much information.” Kerr did say he had texted with Porzingis a bit and that he “seems to be doing okay,” but then admitted, “but we haven’t gotten into depth.” This is a player guaranteed $20 million this season, and his own coach can’t even get “into depth” on his condition. It’s wild.
A Costly Mystery That Keeps Getting Worse
This health question mark has been haunting both Porzingis and the Warriors since they traded Jonathan Kuminga for him back in February. It’s not a new problem, either. Last season, Porzingis averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in limited time with Golden State, but he missed games with an illness Kerr called “a little mysterious.” And remember that whole saga about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS? Kerr had to retract a previous comment where he denied Porzingis had it, despite an Athletic story from 2025 where Porzingis himself revealed the diagnosis. The team re-upped Porzingis this offseason on a two-year, $40 million deal with a player option for 2027-28. That 2027-28 salary, a cool $20.5 million, becomes fully guaranteed on July 7 if he opts in. GM Dunleavy, back in August, told reporters that Porzingis “has had a tough few years,” playing only 59.1% of all possible regular season games over his 11-year career. Dunleavy expressed confidence then, saying they looked “extensively” at what’s going on and how to help him, leaning “in the direction of him having a healthier year.” They wanted him back for that. Now? With the season on the horizon, it feels like that plan is already off the rails before it even began.
The Warriors are left with a $20 million question mark, and absolutely no answers. With the season about to kick off, they need to figure out what’s going on with their 7-foot-2 center, and fast. Everyone is watching to see if they can finally get “into depth” on this developing situation.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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