Kristaps Porziņģis announces he will ‘step away from the game I love’

The Kristaps Porziņģis saga has followed the Golden State Warriors around since the very first day of training camp. And while it seems like it will stay in the news cycle for quite a while, on Friday it took another step towards resolution, with the one-time All-Star posting a statement on social media, which seemed to suggest that he is retiring.

The statement, which he signed and labeled “official statement,” reads in full as follows:

This season I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn’t respond the way I anticipated.

I’m doing good, but I know what it takes, and I’m not where I want to be to perform at the level that I expect from myself. 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.

I’m thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support.

Onwards and upwards.

Porziņģis’ statement is in line with all the reporting in recent days. Earlier today, our Marc Delucchi wrote about the reports that Porziņģis had played his last game with the team, and all that was left was to handle a trade for a player who was unlikely to ever play again. That came after news earlier in the week that Golden State was withholding payments towards Porziņģis’ $20 million salary, and that neither Porziņģis nor the Players Association had plans to contest that.

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So now what? It appears that Porziņģis is set to retire, but first wants to help out the Warriors. By remaining an active player — even an unpaid one — Porziņģis retains his cap hold which can be used to facilitate a trade. The Warriors can now attempt to trade Porziņģis’ contract to a team in search of an expiring deal, and willing to offer a longer-term contract in exchange, such as the Milwaukee Bucks with Myles Turner, to name one of the many players the Dubs have been linked to.

After Porziņģis’ contract is used to facilitate a trade — likely sooner…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kristaps-porzi-announces-step-away-213231914.html

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Publish date : 2026-11-06 21:32:00

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