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Kristaps Porziņģis steps away from basketball, Warriors amid health issues
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- Kristaps Porziņģis steps away from basketball, Warriors amid health issues
Kristaps Porziņģis steps away from basketball, Warriors amid health issues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kristaps Porziņģis isn't returning to the Warriors anytime soon, if at all.
The veteran big man announced Friday that he is stepping away from the Warriors and will work with the team to "find a solution that makes sense."
Porziņģis has been away from the Warriors since late September and missed training camp in Hawaii while he deals with a health issue.
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Two weeks ago, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Warriors are exploring trades involving Porziņģis, and Charania reported Wednesday that Golden State hasn't been paying the former All-Star on his $20 million salary for the 2026-27 season.
Porziņģis has dealt with previous health issues, and his most recent episode began on Sept. 28 when Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy announced at the team's media day that the 31-year-old would miss the start of the preseason .
Porziņģis issued a statement on Oct. 14, noting that he was improving . But three weeks later, it appears that progress has stalled.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed Porziņģis' absence during an appearance on 95.7 The Game last week.
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"We were definitely caught off guard by it in that we were in communication with him over the summer, and it seemed like everything was in a good place right up until training camp," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on 95.7 The Game's "Willard & Dibs." "And then obviously things went south. Since the start of camp, when he was not here and we had to move forward, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought to be honest, because we're just busy. We have to take every single day and get our team ready for the next game.
"The days are full, the schedule is full, and so I check in with Kristaps occasionally to see how he's doing. But we're moving forward, and that's all we can do. I like our young bigs, Graham [Ike] and Charles [Bassey]. We're excited about playing those guys, and the opportunity that they're going to receive, but everything else is not my jurisdiction. That's Mike's [Dunleavy] and the front office's, and I just come to practice and I look forward to coaching the guys every day. We're competing and seeing what we can put together."
It remains to be seen what solution the Warriors and Porziņģis come up with, but for now, the former No. 4 overall pick is focusing on his health and not worrying about basketball.
