Warriors Halt Payments to Porzingis Amid $20 Million Dispute

WHO:

NY Post - The Golden State Warriors stopped paying Kristaps Porzingis.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis is considering his future in basketball and is contemplating retirement from the NBA.

RealGM Basketball - Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was approached by Porzingis about his health condition before the preseason.

RealGM Basketball - Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported, citing three sources, that Porzingis would have strong interest in negotiating a contract buyout.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors are seeking a player who can help the team this season in a possible Porzingis trade.

RealGM Basketball - De’Anthony Melton, Dennis Schroder, and Jimmy Butler were involved in the Warriors’ earlier sequence of transactions described as a comparison.

WHAT:

NY Post - The Warriors stopped paying Porzingis’ $20 million salary.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors are withholding payments on Porzingis’ $20 million contract, indicating that they believe he is not rendering services.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis has a two-year, $40 million contract, with only $3 million guaranteed for the 2027-28 season.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis may seek a buyout to leave basketball and receive some of the money being withheld.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors do not consider Porzingis’ absence excused.

RealGM Basketball - Golden State is actively exploring trade possibilities involving Porzingis.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors previously traded Melton to the Brooklyn Nets for Schroder, then included Schroder in a deal for Butler.

WHEN:

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors can trade Porzingis before the February 11 trade deadline.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis began experiencing a prolonged upper respiratory viral illness while with the Boston Celtics in February 2025.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis’ health issue recurred in September, forcing him back to the sidelines.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors expected Porzingis to play in at least half of their games this season.

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors faced a similar situation early in the 2024-25 season after Melton tore his ACL.

WHY:

RealGM Basketball - The Warriors are withholding payments because they regard Porzingis’ absence as unexcused and believe he is not rendering services.

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis is weighing his basketball future while dealing with “health stuff that you can’t exactly pinpoint.”

HOW:

RealGM Basketball - Porzingis was around the Warriors before training camp, then spoke to Dunleavy Jr. about his condition on the eve of the preseason.

RealGM Basketball - Golden State is pursuing trades and may be able to trade Porzingis without paying him currently.

RealGM Basketball - A contract buyout could allow Porzingis to leave basketball while receiving some of the money on his deal.

Golden State is withholding Kristaps Porzingis’ twenty-million-dollar salary, disputing his absence. Porzingis is considering retirement and could seek a buyout from the Warriors. Golden State is exploring trades for help this season before the February 11 deadline.