The Warriors traded Buddy Hield and Johnathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks last month in exchange for All-Star big man Kristaps Porziņģis.
While Hield hasn’t made much of an impact playing in just two games, Kuminga has blossomed into the star that Golden State appeared to grow tired of waiting for. As for Porziņģis, he has been limited to just one game due to an undisclosed illness that head coach Steve Kerr called “mysterious.”
Although the Warriors would love to have the former No. 4 overall pick in the lineup, as he is a prolific scorer and tremendous defender, they have made it clear that they don’t want to rush him back if he isn’t ready — something Draymond Green expressed to ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Ramona Shelburne.
“When a guy is hurt or sick or whatever, there’s no one around here like pressuring you, like, ‘Yo, what’s going on?’ We don’t move like that,” Green said in a story released Friday. “So I don’t think in this locker room, we feel the uncertainty as much as everyone else does, because that’s just not how we operate. We know if he’s healthy, he’s going to get back out there.”
Following Thursday’s win over the Houston Rockets, the Warriors are sitting at 32-30 on the season, which is good enough to rank No. 8 in the Western Conference. However, they have been without Steph Curry since Jan. 30, and there’s really no indication if he will return this season.
With how banged up they have been, the Warriors will simply have to decide if bringing Porziņģis and Curry back at all is worth it. With that being said, Porziņģis is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so the team may want to see what they have in him.
The Warriors’ next game is on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the best record in the West. As of writing, Porziņģis is listed as a game-time decision.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast