It's been a tough go of it for Golden State Warriors forward/center Kristaps Porzingis, who was diagnosed with a rare nervous system disorder called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, last year. The 31-year-old was expected to play an important role for Golden State, but hasn't been able to return to basketball activity to start this season, and now that the Warriors are considering a trade, the Milwaukee Bucks become an unlikely but certain possibility.
According to Shams Charania, Porzingis is currently considering whether to continue playing basketball at all while he deals with this harsh medical condition. That means very few teams would actually be willing to trade for him and his $20 million deal, with a player option for the same amount next year. However, only a small portion of next year's money is guaranteed, so it's effectively an expiring contract for $20 million.
Milwaukee, however, is in a unique situation that would allow them to take that contract on. This is a team taking the first steps of a rebuild without their own first-round draft capital until 2031, so they would benefit greatly from acquiring any draft assets that Golden State would inevitably need to attach to dump Porzingis' contract. And from a financial perspective, they have what they'd need to get a trade done, too.
The Milwaukee Bucks could capitalize on a difficult situation for the Warriors and Kristaps Porzingis.
There are several options for who would be involved in a trade like this, starting with the most obvious fit — Kyle Kuzma, whose expiring $20.5 million deal would easily fit into a one-for-one swap with Golden State. He'd provide length, size, and versatility for a Warriors team that needs some help at the forward positions.
Otherwise, Caris LeVert, Jericho Sims, or even Gary Trent Jr., once trade-eligible in January, could make sense for a Warriors team in a win-now mindset at the twilight of Stephen Curry's career.
The obvious target for Golden State, however, is Myles Turner. He's a clean fit in the lineup to replace that Porzingis role of spacing the floor and setting screens on offense, while protecting the rim and cleaning the glass on defense. But I don't think the Bucks are going to part with Turner easily, as he was the centerpiece of their offseason just two years ago, and has been great for the culture they're hoping to establish this season.
Turner's contract is also $6.6 million more than Porzingis', so the Warriors would need to add another young player to the deal to make it work financially, on top of the draft capital GM Jon Horst would require for such a trade.
This isn't to say that the Bucks should, or will, trade for Kristaps Porzingis. But as the Warriors canvas the league for a trade suitor, it's hard to imagine the Bucks will not wind up as one of their best and only options, which means Horst could use his leverage to get Milwaukee some juicy draft assets for the road ahead if the Warriors are desperate enough to move off Porzingis' contract.
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