Warriors Shopping Kristaps Porzingis: Three Trades That Actually Make Sense

The Warriors are trying to turn a dead salary slot into a functioning NBA player. On Wednesday, reports surfaced that Golden State is actively exploring trades for Kristaps Porzingis, who is out indefinitely and may not play again. The urgency is easy to understand: with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody also sidelined, the Warriors are opening the season with roughly $90 million in salary sitting in street clothes.

That's the kind of math that forces a front office's hand. The complication is timing — the cleanest return packages may not become tradable until Dec. 15, and by then this season could already be slipping away. At best, Porzingis is pure salary-matching filler. At worst, Golden State has to attach a sweetener just to get him off the books. Neither is a great starting point.

Why Golden State Even Wants This

The best version of this roster needs bigs who can shoot. The Warriors already learned the hard way that stacking a third shaky shooter next to Butler and Draymond Green chokes their spacing. Green can slide to center in spurts but shouldn't do it full-time anymore, and Al Horford — 40 years old and ranked #170 overall last season (2025-26) — isn't built for starter minutes. Porzingis was supposed to be the spacing big. Instead he's the problem to solve.

The Three Realistic Moves

Option one is Myles Turner. Milwaukee signed him in a failed bid to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo, he had a rough year, and he's got three pricey seasons left. A swap of Turner for Porzingis' shorter deal plus Moody for money-matching makes sense for both sides — the Bucks don't control their own first-rounder, so Porzingis' health is a non-issue for them. The catch: Turner's remaining years wipe out Golden State's max cap space next summer.

Option two is Charlotte. The Hornets have taken a clear step back since trading LaMelo Ball and have shown they'll absorb money for picks — they took three second-rounders just to eat Dorian Finney-Smith's deal. They're loaded with mid-sized contracts on playable vets: Royce O'Neale, Grant Williams, Grayson Allen. Golden State's three tradable second-round picks might be enough to pry one loose, though first-round capital doesn't fit a deal this small.

Option three is the swing-for-the-fences play: New Orleans. The Pelicans are really a stand-in for the idea of packaging Porzingis' salary plus draft picks for a legitimate upgrade. The Warriors have been linked to both Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. Murphy, a strong No. 3 option on a team-friendly deal, would cost significantly more; Jones, a shakier shooter, fits worse. Golden State controls most of its own picks — the question is how much it's willing to spend on a win-now gamble.

The Bigger Question

Underneath all three scenarios is a philosophical one: what exactly is this team chasing? The free-agent dream of landing Giannis, Nikola Jokic or Karl-Anthony Towns next summer is mostly fantasy — difference-makers don't change teams that way anymore, and preserving that cap space means renouncing their own guys. If the real goal is simply giving Stephen Curry a competitive runway to retire with dignity, then eating Turner's contract for a real shooting center is the honest answer.

The Fantasy Fallout

The player most exposed here is Al Horford. He posted just 22.6 fantasy points per game across 45 games last season (2025-26) and his last five games ran 9.9 FPTS below his season average — and that was before any Porzingis replacement arrives. If Golden State lands Turner or a Pelicans wing, Horford's minutes could crater. He's a deep-league body at best right now.

Draymond Green is the quieter winner. He averaged 25.1 fantasy points over 68 games last season (2025-26), and if a real center walks through the door, Green stays off the five full-time and keeps his assist-heavy, do-everything line intact. In deeper formats he's a steadier hold than his #141 overall rank suggests, especially in points-plus-stocks builds.

The verdict: sell high on Horford while his name value from a Warriors starting role still means something — his floor is about to drop whether or not a trade happens. Hold Green. And if you're in a dynasty or deep league watching New Orleans, keep Trey Murphy on your radar; a move to Golden State as a featured No. 3 scorer would only raise his ceiling. For now, it's a wait-and-see until the Dec. 15 window clarifies who's actually movable.