Warriors to Open Season Without Kristaps Porziņģis vs. Lakers

Kristaps Porziņģis will not be with the Warriors in the near term, leaving Golden State without its 7-foot-2 center as it opens the season on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The club said Wednesday it does not expect Porziņģis to be around the team for the “immediate future” while he addresses an undisclosed health issue. Golden State said it would not discuss reports about his condition, possible trade chatter or his future, and noted that its conversations with Porziņģis and his representatives will stay private.

Steve Kerr had little clarity to offer before the Lakers opener. The coach said he had not seen Porziņģis, though the two had remained in contact through messages and a phone call. Kerr said the organization did not have more information to share beyond Wednesday’s announcement.

The update marks a change from the Warriors’ position one week earlier. Golden State had said Porziņģis visited Chase Center on Oct. 13 for meetings with general manager Mike Dunleavy and vice president of player health and performance Dr. Rick Celebrini. At that point, the plan called for him to spend some time around staff and teammates in an unspecified role while remaining sidelined indefinitely.

Porziņģis offered a more personal update on social media last week, saying he was working with doctors and specialists to return to full health as soon as possible. He said he was improving but needed patience, describing the situation as frustrating because the underlying health issue has been difficult to identify alongside the injuries he has dealt with during his career.

Dunleavy declined to identify the issue during media day last month, although he did not characterize it as a long-term problem. Porziņģis also stayed behind when the Warriors traveled to Hawaii for training camp. When the center missed time in March because of illness and a medical concern, Kerr called the situation “mysterious.”

The Latvian veteran arrived from Atlanta at the February deadline in the deal that sent Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks. He appeared in only 15 games for Golden State after the trade, missing substantial time during the second half of the season.