Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Warriors' Trade for Kristaps Porzingis Includes Draymond Green Development

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 6:48 AM ET

The Golden State Warriors' pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline is over, with the team opting to deal Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis.

That means Draymond Green, who was rumored to be part of a potential package in the Warriors' bid to land Antetokounmpo, is staying with the franchise.

Shams Charania of ESPN first reported that it's unlikely Green will get moved by the Warriors before the trade deadline. He shared that if there was a deal that would have pushed the Dubs to move on from Green, it was the Antetokounmpo deal.

"The Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis after a week is over," Charania said on SportsCenter. "They have moved on. The Warriors made a pick-heavy offer last week continued to have conversations going into this week with the Bucks."

Anthony Slater of ESPN further confirmed the development, sharing that the Warriors now plan to pair Green with their new addition in Porzingis.

The Dubs reportedly believe that a frontcourt pairing of Green and Porzingis is a good fit. Both players provide defense, and KP is a great floor-spacing big man who can knock down triples at a high rate.

"Porzingis has been on the Warriors' radar dating to his previous playoff runs with the Boston Celtics," Slater wrote.

"They've been on a persistent search for a rim-protecting center who can hit 3s and have long believed Porzingis would fit well in the frontcourt next to Draymond Green, whom they now plan to keep despite dangling him in trade talks, sources said."

Former Atlanta Hawks forward/center Kristaps Porzingis (8) looks on during a game.© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Kristaps Porzingis' Availability Is a Major Talking Point

Now that the Warriors plan to move forward with a core featuring Steph Curry, Green and Porzingis, the Latvian star's availability is the next issue the Dubs need to tackle.

Porzingis played just 17 games this season for the Hawks due to various injuries. In fact, he missed Atlanta's last 13 games prior to the trade due to left Achilles tendonitis.

The one-time All-Star averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks with the Hawks this campaign. He shot 45.7% from the field and 36% from the 3-point line.

It's worth noting that Porzingis was upgraded to available during the Hawks' game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday. However, he was ruled out over an hour before tip-off due to illness.

Still, that should raise hopes that he will be able to play for the Warriors sooner rather than later.

Slater also noted in his report that "team sources said they anticipate Porzingis will make his return soon after joining Golden State."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: