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Kristaps Porzingis finally stepped back on the court after missing six straight games. The 30-year-old Latvian big man has battled persistent health issues that have largely sidelined him since before the 2025 playoffs. However, hope surfaced on Saturday. And after his second outing in a Warriors jersey, KP sounded upbeat at the press conference and addressed the lingering mystery around his illness.

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“Felt like my body’s coming back to where I need to be,” he told the media. “Just got honestly just one workout in and felt pretty decent.” KP also shared how he felt sitting out after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Golden State Warriors at the Feb 5 trade deadline.

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“I wanted to get out there as soon as possible. And I was sitting out a couple of games. It was like, stinging me a little bit, you know, but today was okay. I still feel a little heavy,” Porzingis added. He took 3 of 6 free throws against the Thunder. Thus, he added, “Not in a good rhythm yet and missing some free throws and all that.”

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However, he strongly believes that the Warriors are going to build from the loss. And that’s not all, “I’ll be looking better and better with each game,” KP added. Talking about the last few days of illness, he said, “I believe I will be healthy now, this is what I really feel.”

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Kristaps Porzingis debuted for the Dubs against the Boston Celtics. He logged 17 minutes and walked away confident he could handle a heavier workload. However, the momentum vanished quickly. Two days later, he woke up sick and slipped into another extended illness.

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The setback forced him to miss six straight games while the Warriors’ training staff searched for answers behind the troubling health pattern. The roots stretch further back.

Late last February, after catching a virus, Celtics doctors diagnosed Kristaps Porzingis with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, an autonomic condition that can spike heart rate and trigger dizziness and fatigue. Porzingis has stayed mostly private about the struggle. Still, the illness keeps interrupting his career. Before the trade, he managed only 17 games with the Hawks.

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His future with the Warriors, however, isn’t at an immediate risk, as GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. recently revealed.

Kristaps Porzingis’s Warriors tenure isn’t in jeopardy

The Golden State Warriors rolled the dice at the deadline, sending Jonathan Kuminga away to land Kristaps Porzingis. However, the gamble has struggled to deliver early returns. His absence has started to weigh heavily on the Warriors during a critical stretch of the season.

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Meanwhile, uncertainty stretches beyond the present. Kristaps Porzingis is in the final year of his contract and could enter free agency this summer. Even so, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy addressed the situation and offered a bold statement about Porzingis and the franchise’s long-term plans.

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“We see him as more than a rental,” Dunleavy said. “We feel he can help our team this year, better our playoff position, and then moving forward fits what we are looking for.”

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As of now, Kristaps Porzingis remains the Warriors’ biggest question and their boldest hope. Health clouds still hover, yet optimism quietly grows around him. The franchise sees him as a valuable piece in the long run. Meanwhile, Porzingis believes his body is finally settling down. If that belief holds, Golden State may be able to turn a risky trade into a towering reward. The next games will tell the real story.

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Written by

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Adrija Mahato

2,282 Articles

Adrija Mahato is a Senior Basketball Writer at EssentiallySports, leading live NBA coverage and specializing in breaking news and major developments. With experience covering both basketball and Formula 1, she brings Know more

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Shreya Singh

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