Warriors Reportedly 'Not Delivering Payments' to Kristaps Porzingis as Star Contemplates NBA Future

As veteran center Kristaps Porzingis continues to contemplate his future in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors reportedly haven't sent him a paycheck this season.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, the Warriors are "not delivering payments" to Porzingis on his $20 million salary for this year, ruling that he is not rendering services. The team reportedly "will continue exhausting trade avenues as the 31-year-old leans toward ending his NBA career."

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ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Porzingis is losing $218,341 per game due to his failure to render services, and his salary still counts against the cap and tax apron.

Slater reported that league sources said Porzingis is "not actively disputing the lack of payments." Team sources added that the Warriors "have no current plans on voiding Porzingis' contract... maintaining trade flexibility up until the Feb. 11 deadline."

Porzingis has been away from the Warriors for this entire season while dealing with what is described as a personal medical issue. The 31-year-old re-signed with Golden State on a two-year, $40 million contract this past offseason. However, only $3 million of his salary for the 2027-28 season is guaranteed, making it easier to trade him. Charania noted that "absorbing Porzingis' near-expiring deal would allow a rival team to move a salary out and save money and clear a roster spot via a buyout," which would give the big man the chance to recoup some of his lost wages.

However, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Golden State "knows that trade interest is unlikely to materialize immediately." The Warriors faced a similar situation two seasons ago when guard De'Anthony Melton tore his ACL early in the 2024-25 campaign, which led them to trade him for veteran guard Dennis Schroder, who was then flipped two months later to acquire star wing Jimmy Butler III.

Sources told Fischer that Golden State "hopes to do something similar with Porzingis to try to add a serviceable frontcourt player on an expiring contract. Ideally such a deal is consummated by Dec. 16 so the incoming player, like Schröder before him, can be re-aggregated with other contracts in a subsequent trade before the Feb. 11 trade deadline."

It sounds like there won't be a resolution anytime soon, but Porzingis' time with the Warriors will likely come to an end at some point.