On Sunday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported (subscription required) that "any significant trade business that Atlanta does in-season is expected to include the $30.7 million expiring contract held by Kristaps Porziņġis." Of course, the issue with that is his current status. Also on Sunday, the team announced that Porziņġis will miss the next two weeks due to illness. Porziņġis played in only two of the team's last nine games.
The Hawks traded for Porziņġis over the summer in a move that was seen as an upgrade, giving the team a stretch five and the perfect center alongside Trae Young. Unfortunately, Porziņġis has been limited to 13 games this season, and Young has played in only five. Porziņġis and Young haven't formed the duo that fans envisioned.
Like Young, Atlanta didn't sign Porziņġis to an extension after the trade. It was the right move for the Hawks to make, given Porziņġis, who is 30, has a lengthy injury history. He played 42 games last season for the Celtics, missing significant time due to POTS, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. Understandably so, Porziņģis didn't look like the player he was the season before.
Atlanta traded for Porziņġis knowing all of the above. The center said he felt good entering his first season with the Hawks, but he hasn't looked like himself.
Will the Hawks trade Kristaps Porziņġis before the Feb. 5 deadline?
Atlanta said it is "prioritizing" Porziņġis' health for the rest of the season, which is, of course, the right move. It seems there is a chance Porziņģis might've already played his final game for the Hawks, depending on what the evaluations he is undergoing show.
When healthy, Porziņġis is a top starting center in the league, but that's not enough to overlook the first two words in this sentence. He's played in 60+ games once since the Knicks traded him to the Mavericks in 2019, and that was in the 2022-23 season when he was with the Wizards.
Depending on how the next few weeks play out between Atlanta's trade deadline plans and Porziņġis' health, he could be on a new team by the time Feb. 5 ends. It's important to note that Stein wrote that any significant trade the Hawks may do is expected to involve Porziņģis. That doesn't mean that the front office is actively trying to trade him, which would be hard to do right now, anyway.
Hopefully, for Porziņģis' sake, he can safely return to the court soon, but his health is the top priority.