Warriors Withholding Payments To Kristaps Porzingis

The fine for failure to render services is equivalent to 1/91.6th of the player’s salary for each game he misses, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. In Porzingis’ case, that works out to $218,341 per game, which is 1/91.6th of his $20MM salary for the 2026/27 season.

Reporting at the start of the season indicated that Golden State was pursuing potential trade avenues for Porzingis, who has been ruled out indefinitely due to an undisclosed health issue and is said to be contemplating the possibility of retirement.

The Warriors’ efforts on the trade market are ongoing, Charania and Slater report, noting that withholding a portion of the Latvian’s salary doesn’t impact the front office’s ability to move him. The team has no current plans to void his contract, ESPN’s duo adds.

Slater suggested last week that the Warriors had expected Porzingis to be as their facilities more frequently during his recovery process, spending time with his teammates and the team’s medical staff. Slater stated at the time that the situation could “no longer be described as an excused absence” and observed that the center’s designated on injury reports had been adjusted to “not with team.” The 31-year-old reportedly hasn’t been at the club’s facilities since early October.

Porzingis has missed significant chunks of the past two years due to non-injury-related health issues and spoke last fall about being diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Neither he nor the Warriors have offered any specifics on the ailment currently preventing him from suiting up for the team, but it’s serious enough that Charania and Slater say he’s “leaning toward” ending his playing career.

Although a team has the right to withhold a player’s salary for a failure to render services, the player can work with the National Basketball Players Association to fight that decision. For example, when the Sixers took a similar path with Ben Simmons during the 2021/22 season, which he missed due to a holdout and a back injury, he filed a grievance in an effort to recoup nearly $20MM in withheld salary. The two sides later reached a settlement agreement that allowed him to receive a portion of that money.

However, Porzingis has yet to actively dispute the missed payments, league sources tell ESPN. Three sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) that they believe the former fourth overall pick would have “strong interest” in working out a buyout agreement that allows him to retain a portion of his $20MM salary rather than battling over the game-by-game fines.

Porzingis, who signed a two-year, $40MM contract extension with Golden State over the summer, holds a $20MM player option for the 2027/28 season, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $3MM. That means he’s on a pseudo-expiring deal, which could make him movable ahead of the February 11 trade deadline. Because he extended his contract rather than signing as a free agent, Porzingis is trade-eligible now, so the club doesn’t necessarily have to wait until December 15 to make a move.

Still, few teams are prepared to shake up their rosters this early in the season, which means the Warriors may have to be patient. They’d ideally like to finalize a Porzingis trade by December 16, Fischer writes, since that would allow them to acquire a player whose contract could be re-aggregated in a separate deal ahead of February’s deadline. Golden State did something similar during the 2024/25 season, acquiring Dennis Schröder for De’Anthony Melton on Dec. 15 and then aggregating Schröder’s salary as part of the Jimmy Butler blockbuster in February.

According to Fischer, the Warriors are reluctant to take on a sizable multiyear contract that eats into their 2027 cap space unless they can land a player who “clearly enhances” their future. For example, while the Bucks are reportedly among the teams contacted about a possible Porzingis trade, Golden State’s interest in Myles Turner, who is owed $83.6MM over three years, is said to be limited. The Warriors would want a sweetener from Milwaukee to take on Turner’s contract, Fischer explains.

Another player Golden State has taken a look at, per Fischer, is Chicago forward/center Jalen Smith, who is on an expiring $9.4MM contract. But based on the NBA’s new lottery rules, the 1-6 Bulls are incentivized to try to be competitive to avoid a bottom-three finish, so it’s unclear how enthusiastic they’d be to go into seller mode early in the season.

In Porzingis’ absence, the Warriors have been leaning on Al Horford, Charles Bassey, Draymond Green, and Graham Ike up front. After losing their first three games, they’ve won the last five in a row.