Former Celtics center sidelined again with new team after trade

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Former Celtics center sidelined again with new team after trade

Brian Robb · MassLive

Tue, Feb 24, 2026 ·

2 min read

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Kristaps Porzingis landed with the Warriors earlier this month but his stint out west hit another speed bump this week. The former Celtics center made his debut with Golden State last week against Boston but his return to the court was brief. The big man missed Sunday’s win over the Nuggets at Chase Center due to illness and did not travel with the team for their two-game road trip against the Pelicans and Grizzlies.

The Warriors acquired Porzingis at the trade deadline from the Hawks for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield . He played his first game since Jan 7 last Thursday after missing over a month of action due to injuries and illness in both Atlanta and Golden State.

Porzingis played 17 minutes in his Warriors debut against Boston, posting 11 points in the blowout loss. However, he was optimistic about his condition when speaking after the loss.

“I felt all right,” Porzingis said. “Far from being in perfect shape. But I think for first game back after a while, getting some energy back, I’m feeling good.”

Porzingis has only appeared in 18 games this year between Golden State and Atlanta due to injury and illnesses. Boston traded him in a three-team deal back in July to the Hawks for Georges Niang in what was largely a salary dump to get below the second apron. His tenure in Atlanta was brief after the team elected to focus more on the future after trading away star guard Trae Young .

Porzingis will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason but the Warriors are hopeful he will be able to provide an offensive boost to the roster after losing star Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL.

Porzingis’ next chance to play will come on Saturday night against the Lakers at Chase Center.

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