Warriors' Kristaps Porzingis steps away from basketball to focus on his health

Kristaps Porzingis will not be returning to the Golden State Warriors anytime soon. The 31-year-old center said in a statement posted to social media on Friday that he is stepping away from basketball to focus on his health. He has not played this season. As USA TODAY Sports noted, he never used the word retirement, which leaves room for a return if his health improves.

He explained that he had hoped to play with this group, but "as I ramped up, my body didn't respond the way I anticipated," according to USA TODAY Sports. He also said he wants to work with the Warriors on what he called a sensible solution. That last part matters most for the front office. Porzingis left the team on the eve of training camp in late September with an undisclosed health issue. ESPN has since reported that Golden State is looking at trade options and has stopped paying his $20 million salary, on the grounds that he is not rendering services while he is away.

Golden State signed Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million deal this summer, CBS Sports reported. ESPN noted that only $3 million of next season's money is guaranteed, which could make the contract useful in a trade. ESPN also reported that voiding the deal outright would be complicated unless Porzingis retired and gave up the money. The team acquired him from Atlanta in February. He played 15 of the final 20 games last season, averaging 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. During his last season in Boston, he disclosed symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

On the court, the statement settles less than it seems. The Warriors have been planning without him since September, and Friday's news mostly ends any expectation that he will rejoin the rotation this fall. The roster question is now about the contract, not the calendar.

What it means for Saturday against Orlando

Golden State hosts the Orlando Magic on Saturday at 6-3 and on a six-game winning streak. That run follows an 0-3 start. The opener was a 127-105 loss to the Lakers, a game in which ESPN reported Walker Kessler dunked on the Warriors 10 times, a reminder of how thin they have been in the middle. Since then they have beaten Denver, Minnesota, the Lakers, the Clippers, Phoenix and, most recently, Miami 120-100. They have won those six games by a combined 77 points and allowed 108 points a game. They are 4-1 at Chase Center.

The board for Saturday lists the Warriors as clear favorites across 12 venues. Novig has Golden State at -223 on the moneyline and Orlando at +217. The best Orlando price anywhere is Pinnacle's +218, so Novig is within a point of the top of the market. The spread is Warriors -6.5, priced at -100 on Novig. Orlando +6.5 is -104 there and -103 at Pinnacle. Novig sets the total at 221.5, and the other venues range from 219.5 to 222.5. That total is well below the 230.8 combined points per game in Golden State's nine games so far. Sportsbook hold runs from 2.9% to 5.5% on the moneyline, so most of the difference between venues comes from margin rather than any real split on who should win.