The Golden State Warriors desperately need a healthy and productive Kristaps Porzingis next season, but the contract handed to the veteran center, combined with recent free agency rumors, proves the franchise still have concerns over his availability going forward.
After also bringing back Al Horford and Charles Bassey from last season's roster, the Warriors have been linked to Kelly Olynyk over the past two weeks as another center option who, like Porzingis, can stretch the floor from the four or five position.
Warriors make their Kristaps Porzingis concerns clear
If Golden State believed they could get at least 60 or 70 games from their starting center next season, they likely wouldn't need to show interest in Olynyk who would surely only be an insurance measure to Porzingis and his former Boston Celtics championship teammate in Horford.
But the reality is that despite playing in 16 of the final 22 games of last season, including the two Play-In Tournament matchups, the Warriors are still right to hold significant concerns over Porzingis' health.
The 31-year-old appeared in just 32 combined games for Golden State and the Atlanta Hawks last season, having been acquired in a surprise mid-season move for former seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga and veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
Porzingis hasn't played more than 65 games in a season since his second year in the league nearly a decade ago, and in the meantime has dealt with numerous injury concerns along with a curious illness that remains somewhat of a mystery.
Warriors also revealed concerns through Porzingis' new contract
After completing a two-year, $60 million extension he initially signed with the Celtics, the Warriors orchestrated a new two-year, $40 million contract with Porzingis that further justifies February's trade to acquire him.
However, only $3 million of the second year is guaranteed, further proving Golden State's concerns over Porzingis' health status while preserving the ability to trade him before next year's mid-season deadline as essentially an expiring contract.
It demonstrates that as much as the Warriors need the former All-Star and his offensive skillset -- particularly while Jimmy Butler remains sidelined by injury -- they don't yet want to bind themselves to him as a long-term piece of the team.
In the short-term Porzingis will have an immense opportunity to force a change in Golden State's stance, and to prove himself a valuable and much-needed part of the team over the final years of Stephen Curry's career.
