Kristaps Porziņģis will miss the start of the Golden State Warriors’ 2026 training camp because of an unspecified health issue, adding another major availability concern for a Warriors roster already dealing with several significant injuries.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. announced at the team’s September 28 media day that Porziņģis is out indefinitely and will not travel with the team to Hawaii for training camp. Golden State has not disclosed exactly what is wrong with the 7-foot-2 center or established a timetable for his return. [ESPN]
The uncertainty is especially notable because Porziņģis has dealt with significant health problems during the past two seasons, including an illness he has identified as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. However, the Warriors have not confirmed that his latest absence is related to POTS.
Why Is Kristaps Porziņģis Out?
For now, the Warriors are describing Porziņģis’ condition only as a “health issue.”
Dunleavy said Porziņģis had been at the Warriors’ facility the previous week and appeared to be doing well. The organization learned Sunday that he would not be available for the start of camp. [AP]
“He was in last week, doing well and everything,” Dunleavy said. “I don’t have a timeline on it. Hopefully he will be back soon.” [AP]
Dunleavy declined to provide more specific medical information.
That means several basic questions remain unanswered, including the exact nature of the condition and how long Porziņģis will be unavailable.
How Long Will Kristaps Porziņģis Be Out?
There is currently no timetable.
The Warriors have characterized Porziņģis as out indefinitely, but Dunleavy also cautioned against interpreting that designation as evidence that he will miss a significant portion of the regular season.
Golden State has not ruled Porziņģis out for its October 21 season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. [AP]
For now, the only certainty is that he will not participate in the Warriors’ training camp in Hawaii.
Is Kristaps Porziņģis’ Health Issue POTS?
The Warriors have not said.
That distinction is important.
Porziņģis has previously discussed dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, commonly called POTS, and his recent history naturally raises the question of whether the latest issue is connected.
When Dunleavy was specifically asked whether the training-camp absence was related to POTS, he declined to provide details.
“I want to give you as much information as I can always,” Dunleavy said. “It’s a health thing that I really can’t comment on.” [SFGATE]
Unless Porziņģis or the Warriors provide additional information, it would therefore be inaccurate to describe the current problem as another POTS episode.
What Is POTS?
POTS is a disorder involving the autonomic nervous system that can cause an abnormal increase in heart rate after a person moves into an upright position.
Symptoms can include dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, weakness, exercise intolerance and rapid heartbeat, although symptoms and severity vary substantially from person to person.
Porziņģis has previously connected his own health problems to POTS, but there has also been some public confusion surrounding the precise diagnosis.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr apologized in February 2026 after publicly discussing Porziņģis’ medical situation and later acknowledged that he was not qualified to characterize the diagnosis. [San Francisco Chronicle]
That history helps explain why Golden State is being particularly cautious about discussing Porziņģis’ current condition.
What Happened To Porziņģis Last Season?
Health and availability were major issues for Porziņģis during the 2025-26 season.
Golden State acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks at the February trade deadline in a deal that sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta. [AP]
But Porziņģis initially struggled to stay on the court after arriving.
He dealt with illness as well as Achilles tendinitis and played only one of Golden State’s first 11 games after the trade. [NBA]
He eventually returned and appeared in 15 games for Golden State, making 11 starts.
Across 32 games during the 2025-26 season, Porziņģis averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks. [AP]
Did Porziņģis Have Other Injuries With The Warriors?
Yes.
His health problems were not limited to illness.
Porziņģis also dealt with Achilles tendinitis and later left a March game against Detroit because of back spasms.
Porziņģis said he began feeling the back problem during the first quarter before a spasm forced him out during the second quarter. [NBC Sports Bay Area]
Those problems contributed to him appearing in only 32 games during the season.
Why Did The Warriors Re-Sign Kristaps Porziņģis?
Despite the availability concerns, Porziņģis showed enough when healthy for Golden State to bring him back.
He agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract with the Warriors in June. [AP]
The attraction is obvious when Porziņģis is available.
At 7-foot-2, he gives Golden State an unusual combination of:
- Three-point shooting
- Pick-and-pop offense
- Interior scoring
- Rim protection
- Size
- Floor spacing
Those skills potentially make him an important complement to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The issue has never been whether Porziņģis can help an NBA team when healthy. It has been how consistently he can remain available.
Why Is Missing Training Camp Important?
Porziņģis is not a completely new Warrior, which makes the situation somewhat easier than it would be for a newly acquired player.
He spent the final portion of the 2025-26 season with Golden State and already has experience in Steve Kerr’s system.
But training camp still matters.
It gives the Warriors an opportunity to build chemistry, install adjustments and determine which combinations work best together.
Missing the Hawaii portion of camp means Porziņģis loses valuable repetitions with teammates before preseason games begin.
Why Is Porziņģis’ Absence Especially Important For The Warriors?
Because Golden State is already entering the season without several important players at full strength.
Jimmy Butler III is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in January, while Moses Moody is rehabilitating a torn patellar tendon.
Both have progressed to light on-court work, but neither is expected to be available for the season opener. [USA Today]
Porziņģis’ health issue therefore creates another question for a veteran roster whose ability to contend could depend heavily on keeping its most important players available.
What Does Porziņģis’ Absence Mean For The Warriors’ Frontcourt?
It creates additional opportunities for Golden State’s other big men during camp.
The Warriors can use more combinations involving Draymond Green and Al Horford, while younger frontcourt players will receive additional practice repetitions.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg could also benefit from the extra opportunities.
But none of those players offers exactly the same combination of size and shooting as Porziņģis.
That makes his eventual return important to how Golden State intends to structure its frontcourt.
Could Kristaps Porziņģis Miss The Season Opener?
It is possible, but the Warriors have not ruled him out.
Golden State opens the regular season October 21 against the Lakers.
Dunleavy specifically declined to characterize the situation as something that will necessarily keep Porziņģis unavailable when the season begins.
“I’m not marking him down as being out to start the season or anything like that,” Dunleavy said. “He’s just not available this week.” [SFGATE]
That provides some reason for optimism, but without a diagnosis or timetable there is no guarantee Porziņģis will be ready for opening night.
Why Did The News Surprise The Warriors?
Because there apparently had been little warning.
Dunleavy said Porziņģis had been working out at the Warriors’ facility and doing well during the previous week.
The team learned about the new health issue Sunday.
Kerr described the news as “surprising” but said the Warriors expect Porziņģis to rejoin the team at some point. [AP]
That sudden change helps explain why Golden State has not provided a detailed timetable.
How Much Time Has Porziņģis Missed Recently?
Availability has become one of the defining issues surrounding Porziņģis.
He has appeared in only 74 regular-season games across the past two seasons. [NBC Sports]
His career has also included major knee, calf, ankle and other physical problems dating back to his time with the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
That history does not establish what is causing his current absence, but it explains why another indefinite absence immediately becomes significant for Golden State.
What Does “Out Indefinitely” Mean?
“Out indefinitely” does not necessarily mean Porziņģis will be out for months.
It means Golden State does not currently have a firm return date.
The wording can sound ominous, but Dunleavy’s comments suggest the Warriors are not yet treating the situation as a confirmed long-term absence.
The next meaningful development will be whether Porziņģis is cleared to resume basketball activities and join the team after the Hawaii portion of camp.
Kristaps Porziņģis Health Issue At A Glance
- Player: Kristaps Porziņģis
- Team: Golden State Warriors
- Age: 31
- Position: Center/forward
- Current status: Out indefinitely
- Reason: Unspecified health issue
- Training camp: Will miss Warriors camp in Hawaii
- When did Warriors learn? September 27
- Was he practicing beforehand? Yes, according to Mike Dunleavy Jr.
- Is it POTS? Warriors have not confirmed that
- Return timetable: None announced
- Season opener: October 21 vs. Lakers
- Ruled out for opener? No
- Contract: Two years, $40 million
- 2025-26 games played: 32
- 2025-26 scoring average: 16.7 points per game
So What Is Wrong With Kristaps Porziņģis?
At this point, the public does not know exactly what is wrong with Porziņģis.
The Warriors have confirmed that he has a health issue serious enough to keep him from traveling to Hawaii and participating in the beginning of training camp, but they have not disclosed a diagnosis.
That makes it important not to assume that the problem is POTS, an injury or a recurrence of any previous condition.
What makes the situation significant is Porziņģis’ recent history.
Golden State acquired him during the 2025-26 season knowing that his availability carried risk. He subsequently missed substantial time with health and injury problems before playing well enough down the stretch for the Warriors to give him a two-year, $40 million contract.
Now, before the first official practice of that new contract, he is unavailable again.
There is some encouraging context: Porziņģis had been working out normally at the team’s facility shortly before the issue emerged, and Dunleavy has not ruled him out for opening night.
But until Golden State announces that Porziņģis has been cleared to return, his health will remain one of the Warriors’ most important early-season questions.
