New Warriors Trade Rumors Update Team's Approach With Kristaps Porzingis After Health Update

The Golden State Warriors remain "determined to trade" Kristaps Porziņģis, per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, even after the veteran center announced Friday that he was stepping away from basketball.

The Warriors would like to move Porziņģis "preferably" before Dec. 16 but would settle for any point ahead of the Feb. 11 NBA trade deadline, per that report.

It may be a tough needle to thread, however.

As Stein and Fischer noted, "Executives from three different rival teams told The Stein Line this week that they would insist on the Warriors adding some measure of draft capital to Porziņģis to part with a starting-caliber big man. ... The Warriors, league sources say, have not completely ruled out the prospect of adding some draft capital to Porziņģis' deal... but only for the proverbial right player. We're also told that the Warriors are determined to keep Moses Moody out of any in-season trade business if possible, believing that both Moody and [Jimmy] Butler can make successful returns from their respective knee injuries at some point in the second half of the season."

The Warriors are understandably trying to maximize whatever years Stephen Curry has left, and signing him to a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason was supposed to aid in that effort. But the 31-year-old Porziņģis—who only played in 32 games last season between the Dubs and Atlanta Hawks—has struggled through injuries and medical issues throughout his career and doesn't seem inclined to play.

The Warriors have already been withholding his salary when he remains away from the team and is hoping to trade him as what would essentially be an expiring contract (he has a player option for next season). Perhaps for teams hoping to have less bloat on the books next summer, that may be an interesting proposition. For now, however, it seems as though the Warriors are going to have to pay to ditch him.