Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis announced that he is stepping away from basketball due to his physical inability to play at the level he is accustomed.
Despite the announcement, which is not an official retirement, the Warriors will still be able to use Porzingis’ $20 million salary in a trade leading up to February’s deadline, per team and league sources.
“I want to show the utmost respect for the Golden State Warriors and work with them to find a solution that makes sense,” Porzingis wrote.
Porzingis signed a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the Warriors in late June and said in the statement he intended to play this season, but his body didn’t respond as he tried to ramp it up for training camp.