Kristaps Porzingis is exactly the kind of trade target most teams would rather avoid, but for the LA Clippers, the math changes if the Golden State Warriors are desperate enough to attach a future unprotected first-round pick.
Porzingis recently signed a two-year, $40 million extension with Golden State, but he was later found to be sidelined for the foreseeable future because of “recurring symptoms from the autoimmune condition termed as POTS,” according to Shams Charania. That leaves the Warriors searching for a way out of a contract that, as the source material puts it, almost nobody would want to absorb.
Normally, the Clippers should steer clear. There’s real uncertainty about whether Porzingis will get back on the floor, and his $20 million annual salary brings plenty of risk.
But the situation is different now because of the cap-circumvention investigation involving Kawhi Leonard, which left the Clippers without five first-round picks. That loss has forced them to think differently about how to rebuild draft capital.
Taking on an unwanted deal could be the price of doing business if it comes with a valuable pick attached.
Golden State is not being framed here like Oklahoma City or San Antonio - clubs at the top of the Western Conference with championship timelines that stretch into the future. Instead, the Warriors are viewed as a team moving toward a rebuild once Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are done, which could make their draft assets more appealing. If the Clippers land an unprotected first from that post-Curry and Green stretch, the payoff could be a strong one down the line.
It’s not the cleanest way to add a future asset, but given where the Clippers stand and how much cap space they’re expected to have, it’s a route worth considering.
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