Warriors Exploring Kristaps Porzingis Trade Options

The Golden State Warriors have started exploring trade options for center Kristaps Porzingis, league sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday. Porzingis remains out indefinitely as he deals with a private health issue that has him seriously contemplating his future in basketball, according to the report.

For Warriors fans who had him penciled in as the starting center this summer, it is a rough way to open the season.

What the Warriors said about Kristaps Porzingis

The team released a statement saying it was "not going to comment on trade speculation or reports regarding his health-related matter or future."

"As noted last week, conversations between the Warriors, Kristaps, and his representatives will remain private," the statement read. "We are not anticipating Kristaps being around the team in the immediate future. We'll provide additional updates when available and appropriate."

Golden State listed Porzingis as out for Wednesday night's season opener at the Los Angeles Lakers, with the reason given as "not with team." He has not returned to the team facility since an Oct. 13 meeting with general manager Mike Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini, the franchise's lead medical decision maker, and is mostly keeping in contact with only those two, sources said.

Porzingis addressed it himself on X last week. "It has definitely been frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career," he wrote. "So it has added up for sure, but we will get through it."

If there is no breakthrough in his recovery, stepping away from basketball for good is possible for him, sources told Charania.

The contract that makes a trade possible

Porzingis signed a two-year, $40 million extension with Golden State in June, but only $3 million of the $20 million in the second season is guaranteed, which makes it close to an expiring deal. The extension also had no raise between the two seasons, which kept him trade-eligible right away instead of waiting until mid-December.

That flexibility was not the plan, though. Porzingis played in 15 of the team's final 20 games last season, and management liked his summer enough to project him as the starting center.

The Warriors still have a nearly full cupboard of first-round picks and several expiring contracts, and Dunleavy has said this roster was built to allow an in-season trade if the right deal comes along. What kind of market the contract draws this early in the season is unclear.

What it means for the Warriors frontcourt

The projected frontcourt was Porzingis next to Draymond Green and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Without him, Golden State opens at the Lakers tonight and then hosts Memphis on Friday.

Smacktok pick: with Porzingis listed out and the team not expecting him around anytime soon, don't count on him in any Warriors plans this week, and lean on Green and Lendeborg carrying a bigger frontcourt load.