The Golden State Warriors are one of the most in-form teams in the NBA right now, which is especially noteworthy as they are currently without key center Kristaps Porziņģis.
As Porziņģis remains away from the team after announcing that he is stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health, Warriors star Draymond Green revealed how the players are handling the situation.
Green addressed Porziņģis' current absence and said the team is already looking ahead. He said (via The Athletic ), "Since I've been here on this team, it's never been about bickering, never about 'Shame on this guy,' 'Shame on that guy.' We've never had that culture here. So the same goes for him."
Green continued, "No one's sitting around bashing this guy or even worried about him, for that matter. In our minds, we've moved forward with the players that we have here. (Does) everyone in here think he can help us? Of course. We know what type of player he is. But I don't think anyone in here is sitting around waiting on him to walk through that door. Everybody's moved on in their mindset."
Green's comments stated the blunt reality of the situation, though he did not directly assign blame to Porziņģis. He appears to believe this is just a tough situation for everyone involved.
ESPN reported earlier this week that the Warriors are withholding Porziņģis' scheduled semimonthly payments on his $20 million salary, ruling that he is not rendering services.
Porziņģis signed a new contract with the Warriors this summer but left the team on the eve of training camp and announced Friday that he would be stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health.
"At this point, I've made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love. In this situation, I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense," Porziņģis wrote in a statement on social media.
Porziņģis said in 2025 that he had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, an autonomic condition that can cause an abnormal increase in heart rate when standing, along with symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue.
He appeared in 15 regular-season games for the Warriors last season, averaging 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He's generally been effective despite his health problems, which makes the situation even more frustrating for everyone involved.
As Green noted, Porziņģis' absence hasn't slowed the team down during their current six-game winning streak, and they appear ready to move forward.
Green has helped fill some of Porziņģis' minutes at center, along with veteran Al Horford, while Yaxel Lendeborg has emerged as an early Rookie of the Year candidate.
The Warriors appear to be in a good place right now, and perhaps that's because Green said they aren't focused on whether Porziņģis will return.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
