The Golden State Warriors are on a roll, and hoping to keep that momentum going tonight against the perpetually rebuilding Orlando Magic. A minor wrinkle has appeared, a deepening of a known crease already impacting the season’s plan. Kristaps Prozingis announced that he’s “stepping away.”
While it’s not a huge immediate subtraction given the team’s current success playing without him, this is the finalization of a disheartening loss of talent that will certainly impact the team - even as the resolution plays out.
Up tonight, Orlando is 2-6 through eight games, and the numbers are rough: 29th in scoring at 105.5 points per game, 25th in offensive rating, and 25th in defensive rating. So this isn’t just a team that can’t put the ball in the basket. They’re not defending particularly well, either. In their defense, offensive engine Paolo Banchero rolled his ankle in the season opener and Franz Wagner isn’t doing enough to cover the absence.
On the injury front, Orlando will be without the aforementioned Banchero, plus Jalen Suggs. On the Warriors’ side, Draymond Green (elbow) and Gary Payton (calf) join Gui Santos on the Questionable list. After tonight, there’s one more game (against the Pelicans) to close out this successful home stand run.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (6-3) vs Orlando Magic (2-6)
WHEN: Saturday, November 7th, 2026; 5:30pm PDT
WATCH: Peacock / NBCSBA
Understanding Porzingis’ decision and what it means for the Warriors
The way this season has unfolded with Porzingis is weird, but far from unexpected. Golden State knew they were taking a major roster gamble here, and while it wasn’t a total failure, it feels safe to say at this point that the Warriors didn’t knock this one out of the park.
It all started in preseason, when Porzingis’ status quickly went from an unknown, to something related to his illness, and eventually to a fully agnostic outlook from coach Steve Kerr, who dealt with the issue by simply forgetting about it altogether.
“Other than my concern for him and his own well-being, I don’t think of it,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “When we come to practice, I don’t think of it. Because I have to focus on the guys who are here, and that’s my concern when we come into the building.”
Since then, the Warriors and Porzingis have agreed to keep everything fairly low key, up until a few days ago, when Golden State was widely reported to be withholding pay citing a failure to “render services.” With around $20million on the books this year and only a small guarantee next year, this situation is far from ideal, but may allow the Warriors to make some in-season adjustments that work out. This isn’t a formal retirement, so the team and Porzingis are back on the phone lines trying to “find a solution that makes sense.”
Porzingis is amenable to a trade and could actually become a relatively appealing contract for a rival team intent on shedding a longer-term salary or saving immediate money. Porzingis has only $3 million guaranteed on his deal next season, and the expectation is that he'd be open to a post-trade buyout that would save a team more than that.
The NBA trade deadline isn’t until February 11th, and according to reports, Golden State had been asking around looking for potential trade partners a month ago - if not longer. And this is where it begins to get hard for the Warriors. It’s a good example of how many layers of contingency a team’s plans must have, as that low guarantee next season was risk mitigation for exactly the scenario that has unfolded here.
Easier said than done though. Golden State is looking for a player in the $15-20 million range - either as a sole transaction, or paired with other marginal personnel to make the salaries match. However, the team has been reluctant to attach future first round picks or take on long-term salary, so just having Porzingis as salary ballast doesn’t present a ton of opportunities on its own.
All of these outcomes will be a stretch, but the Warriors have done this dance plenty of times before. A home run swing would be a player like Jalen Smith or Wendell Carter jr.; there sure were a lot of rumors swirling around Herb Jones of the Pelicans. That said, those players are intriguing precisely because they are good. Any realistic trades for those players would definitely cost the Warriors additional assets. Assets that the team has been real stingy with as part of their multi-year strategy.
For the players that are on court, this is all background noise. The team is winning and playing at such a high level right now that there’s not much of an imperative to do anything different right now. Kerr has set the tone from the outset: focus on the guys who are here. Heck, the emergence of Charles Bassey alone is almost worth the loss of Porzingis. Of course, more talent on the court is always better, but Bassey’s play has really softened any crushing emotions or on-court impacts.
Don’t expect a Porzingis trade any time soon, but if the Warriors can keep playing like they have been, it’s not really going to matter.
Prediction
Orlando is reeling without some of its best players, and the Warriors have found a new balance that’s working just fine, thank you. Curry, Yax, Podz, Bassey, Melton, Williams, Green. The list goes on.
The questions about how this roster comes together over the course of a long season are getting more and more quiet, but that’s a problem for another night. Right now, Golden State has enough bodies, enough contributors, and enough momentum to keep this thing rolling. The Magic should be a good opportunity to keep this home stand win streak alive.