Steve Kerr expresses confidence in medical staff’s due diligence on injury-plagued center while pivoting from failed Giannis pursuit to land size, shooting, and rim protection
The Golden State Warriors made their deadline move. In a two-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State acquired veteran center Kristaps Porzingis by sending forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield to Atlanta. No draft picks changed hands. The deal represents the Warriors’ pivot after failing to acquire Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, redirecting their championship-window urgency toward a player they’ve coveted since his Boston days.
Porzingis is expected to meet the Warriors in Los Angeles on Friday night ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Lakers. However, Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed skepticism about immediate availability, noting that Porzingis would likely not receive medical clearance in time for the Lakers game. But Kerr anticipated the veteran center will be back on the court and in a key rotation spot soon, projecting imminent return to game action once medical protocols are satisfied.
“I don’t think we would’ve made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup,” Kerr said, framing the acquisition as grounded in long-term health confidence rather than short-term desperation. “That’s the plan.”
The Porzingis acquisition addresses a need the Warriors have maintained since arriving in the Bay Area: premium size, floor-spacing ability, and rim protection packaged together. Porzingis represents a rare combination a 7-foot-2 center who can shoot three-pointers, protect the rim, and stretch defenses in ways few centers can replicate.
“When he’s right, he’s a helluva player,” Kerr said. “You’re looking at a guy who really fits what we need size, space, shooting, rim protection. Every team needs that, but we’ve always needed that since we’ve been here. We’ve never had a player quite like him.”
The Health Question
The obvious concern surrounding Porzingis is his injury history. He has been limited to just 17 games this season because of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a continuing condition affecting his availability, and most recently left Achilles tendinitis. His injury resume stretches back years a pattern of setbacks that makes him a health risk despite his clear talent.
Yet Kerr indicated the medical department approached this acquisition with comprehensive diligence. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ lead medical decision-maker, and his staff conducted thorough evaluation before greenlight the trade, doing what Kerr described as their “due diligence” on Porzingis in advance.
“Rick and his staff did their ‘due diligence’ on Porzingis and green-lit the move with confidence, expecting Porzingis back imminently,” Kerr explained, positioning the medical staff’s blessing as confidence signal rather than blind faith. The implication: the Warriors’ medical team believes this is a calculated risk with high probability of success.
Giannis Pivot and Trade Context
The Warriors spent the lead-up to the deadline pursuing Giannis before the Bucks made clear their asking price exceeded Golden State’s offering capacity. That forced pivot sent the Warriors toward Porzingis, a player they’ve desired since his championship run with Boston and had on their radar since early January because of his $30.7 million expiring contract a salary-cap advantage making the acquisition more feasible.
Porzingis was initially involved in discussions between the Hawks and Dallas Mavericks as part of a broader three-team framework that would have sent Jonathan Kuminga to Dallas and routed Porzingis to the Warriors. That structure never materialized after Anthony Davis suffered a hand injury, eliminating the Mavericks’ urgency.
Instead, the Warriors and Hawks hammered out a straightforward two-team deal in the hours before the deadline, exchanging Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Porzingis without additional draft consideration.
Roster Addition Context
Porzingis joins a 28-24 Warriors team currently sitting eighth in the Western Conference standings. The acquisition comes as Golden State continues absorbing the shock of losing Jimmy Butler to an ACL tear, a significant blow to championship aspirations that made front-line upgrades increasingly urgent.
Kerr acknowledged the ceiling has lowered without Butler while maintaining realistic optimism. “We still have a good team,” he said. “A very good team. Even without Jimmy, we can make a playoff run. The ceiling is absolutely lower. I’m not going to sit here and lie.”
Stephen Curry echoed enthusiasm about adding Porzingis’s skill set. “I’m just hoping that he’s healthy, first and foremost so that he can do what he can do on the floor,” Curry said, emphasizing health priority. “Him and Al Horford won a championship together in Boston. Different context, but the idea of familiarity and skill-set and size and presence that we’ve been looking for a while.”
