The Golden State Warriors are not paying for talent. They are paying for hope. When Kristaps Porziņģis is healthy, he looks like a cheat code. He had a legitimate hot stretch during the Boston Celtics Finals run. He spaced the floor, altered shots, and at times looked like the perfect modern big in a championship ecosystem. But that was a moment.
In the summer of 2025, Porziņģis moved from Boston to the Atlanta Hawks. Injuries followed. He appeared in just 17 games, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds before being dealt again in February 2026. Atlanta did not move on because of talent concerns. They moved on because reliability kept collapsing. Golden State just bought into that same uncertainty. Even J Will recently confirmed this during GetUp: "I don't trust Porzingis' durability."
For the Golden State Warriors it is not the time for experiments
The Warriors are not a rebuilding franchise. Their clock is tied directly to Stephen Curry. Curry is loyalty personified. He could have chased easier rings. He could have joined ready-made super teams. Instead, he stayed. Look at the Paris Olympics. He buried France with cold-blooded shooting while sharing the stage with LeBron James.
He still thrives in big moments. He still commands respect on the global stage. However, back in Golden State, he is surrounded by instability. Porziņģis healthy or not was a gamble. The Warriors likely took what was available on the market. But that is not a strategy. That is a reaction. When your franchise player is still elite, deals based on availability rather than direction feel shallow.
What happens in Golden State if this keeps drifting?
Curry has given everything to Golden State. He delivered championships. He changed the sport. He remained patient through roster turnover. But patience has limits. If the Warriors continue making short-term bets without a clear long-term blueprint, at some point, even the most loyal superstar has to ask a hard question. Is this about competing, or just surviving?
If Golden State did not learn what Atlanta already learned about Porziņģis, maybe Curry will be the one who learns the bigger lesson. And if that lesson leads him to demand a trade next season, it would not be betrayal. It would be logic.
Even the most die-hard Dub fans would understand. Watching the greatest shooter of all time spend his final elite years on a roster stuck in mediocrity is harder than admitting a reset is necessary. The Warriors are gambling with health. They might end up gambling with Curry.