PHOENIX – As many expected, the Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga for a talented and tall international star with championship experience less than 24 hours before Thursday’s trade deadline.
However, instead of using Kuminga as the centerpiece of a swap that brought 7-foot Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Bay Area, the Warriors instead sent him — along with Buddy Hield — to the Hawks in exchange for 7-2 Kristaps Porzingis.
That move could take the Warriors out of the running for Antetokounmpo, who likely would have commanded a young player like Kuminga, multiple starting-caliber players and a boatload of draft picks.
But Porzingis is still an intriguing addition to the Warriors, who still have hopes of competing in the playoffs despite Jimmy Butler being lost for the season with an injury. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
At his best, Porzingis, 30, brings a rare blend of rim protection and shot-blocking no other Golden State player possesses.
He averages 17.1 points per game and is a career 36.6% shooter from behind the arc, capable of getting his shot off against almost any coverage thanks to his high release. With Steph Curry’s gravity and the Warriors’ motion offense often perplexing defenses, it is not difficult to imagine Porzingis receiving a steady diet of open pick-and-pop jumpers off dribble handoffs.
He is also a credible threat from the mid-range and as someone who can create his own shot, having shot 48% on shots attempted between 10 feet and the 3-point line.
On a Warriors team that can often suffer from bogged-down offense and often traffic in late shot-clock attempts, Porzingis could be a much-needed bailout option if Curry cannot get a shot off.
That scoring would already make him a massive upgrade over the Warriors’ existing centers – and the departed Trayce Jackson-Davis, who went to Toronto for a second-round pick – even if his defense was poor.
But even though Porzingis is no longer the nimble-footed, high-flying and switchable center he was when the Latvian entered the NBA in 2015 as the No. 4 pick by the Knicks, he is still one of the NBA’s top rim-protectors.
Per the NBA’s statistical database, opposing players make only 5.7 of their 13.7 shots attempted against Porzingis. That rate, 41.4%, is a whopping 8.3% lower than the league average.
Porzingis is also a plus-minus darling, with the Hawks being a stellar 7.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor compared to off it.
He would bring a true rim-protecting presence next to the more mobile Draymond Green — who is not expected to be traded — and would be someone who has proven he can defend other post players.
So with all of those reasons to be excited, why should the Warriors hold off on planning championship parade No. 5 of the Curry era?
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He has played in 60 games only once in the past seven seasons. This year, he has been relegated to only 17 games played and has missed the past 13 with a combination of illness and Achilles tendinitis.
He has not played in a back-to-back since January 2024, and has dealt with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) for years. Porzingis is a unique and obviously impactful talent, but his availability has been lacking for almost a decade.
If the Warriors can somehow find a way to keep him on the floor, Porzingis could be the kind of season-altering addition Butler was a year ago when Mike Dunleavy Jr. swung a similar big-time trade.
But with his injury history, asking for that kind of production could be too much to ask.
With the Warriors playing the Suns on Thursday in Phoenix, the earliest Porzingis could play for Golden State is on Saturday at the Lakers.
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