The Warriors’ buildup to training camp took a hit before it really got rolling, with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined by a health issue and no clear timeline for his return.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the news on X, saying: "Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely to open training camp with a health issue, per Warriors. Another immediate blow to their depth."
General manager Mike Dunleavy tried to steady the situation afterward, saying, "I'm not marking him down as being out to start the season or anything like that. He's just not available this week.”
Dunleavy added that Porzingis had practiced last week and was fully cleared, and that the team only learned about the health issue on Sunday. Porzingis will not travel to Hawaii, and there is no return date set.
The setback lands at an awkward moment for a player who spent the summer trying to reset the conversation around his health. Porzingis said the unexplained illness that cost him 16 games after last February's trade was behind him, and he skipped Latvia's FIBA windows to focus on recovery.
Golden State has not said whether this new issue is connected to that prior illness. What is known is that Porzingis played only 15 games after the trade, putting up 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds before the Warriors still committed to him with a two-year, $40 million deal in June.
The frontcourt picture is suddenly a lot tighter. Draymond Green is 36, Al Horford is 40, Jimmy Butler is already set to miss opening night while recovering from a torn ACL, and Moses Moody will also sit out as he comes back from a ruptured patellar tendon.
Training camp is set for BYU-Hawaii through Oct. 3, with Golden State facing the Clippers in Honolulu on Oct. 4. The regular season opens against the Lakers on Oct. 21, and if Porzingis isn’t ready by then, Green and Horford could be carrying major minutes from the jump.
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For the Warriors, the move says plenty about how they are sorting out their recent second-round picks. Jones was not brought to training camp, while the team has kept Alex Toohey in the development pipeline and expects him to spend time with the Santa Cruz roster. It leaves Jones to build his resume in Italy, while Golden State makes clear which young player it wants closest to its system for now. [Read more 🡒]
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The front line is only part of the equation, either. The Warriors still have two starting spots in play, and the backcourt picture is also unsettled with Brandin Podziemski and De'Anthony Melton competing at shooting guard. For a team that has leaned on continuity in the past, this camp is shaping up as one of those early stretches where the rotation can change quickly, especially if one of the younger forwards keeps building on what the coaches have already seen. [Read more 🡒]