Warriors 'moved on' from Porziņģis, Draymond Green says, as center steps away from basketball

Kristaps Porziņģis announced Friday that he is stepping away from basketball to focus on his health. Draymond Green made it clear the Golden State Warriors stopped waiting for him some time ago. The 31-year-old center has not played a game this season. Green told The Athletic that the locker room now treats it as a next-man-up situation. Yahoo Sports relayed his line that "you can't sit and worry about spoiled milk."

According to Green, general manager Mike Dunleavy told the players about Porziņģis before the opener against the Lakers. The team raised it again last week and told the players it was moving forward. Green named journeyman center Charles Bassey and undrafted rookie Graham Ike as players with a chance to prove themselves. Al Horford is the backup center behind Green.

ESPN reported that Porziņģis called Dunleavy two days before the first practice to say he would not be reporting. He came in for a meeting in early October and then left the team again. In his statement, he said his body did not respond when he tried to build up for camp and that he wants to work with the Warriors on a solution. Neither he nor the club has named the health issue. He has a history of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

The announcement is not a retirement, and that matters for roster planning. ESPN reported that Golden State has stopped paying his $20 million salary for this season and that neither he nor the players' association is contesting it. The team has no plan to void the deal. That leaves the salary available for a trade before the February deadline. Only $3 million of next season's money is guaranteed, and he is open to being moved. That could make the contract useful to a rival looking to cut long-term salary.

What it means against Orlando

Nothing changes on the court right away, because the Warriors have been playing without Porziņģis all season. Golden State is 6-3. The team opened 0-3 with losses to the Lakers, Memphis and Phoenix, then won six straight by an average of almost 13 points. The streak includes road wins at Denver and Minnesota and, most recently, a 120-100 home win over Miami. The Warriors scored about 121 points a game during the run and allowed 108.

The Orlando Magic visit Saturday, and the board has the Warriors as clear home favorites. On Novig, one of the 12 venues listed, Golden State is favored at -223 on the moneyline, with Orlando at +217. The best Magic price anywhere is +228 at Pinnacle. On the spread, Golden State is favored by 6.5 on Novig at even money, and Pinnacle has Orlando at +7. Novig posts the total at 221.5, while other venues range from 219.5 to 222.5. Sportsbook hold runs from 2.9% to 5.5%, so the gap between the cheapest and most expensive venues is about two and a half points of margin.

The front line is the area to watch. If Bassey and Ike play larger roles, Saturday will show whether the depth Green talked about holds up. More on the season is on our Warriors team page.