With just nine days until their regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21, the Golden State Warriors remain without big man Kristaps Porziņģis, sidelined with a mysterious illness. Porziņģis, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Warriors in the offseason, has been out indefinitely since September, ahead of training camp in Hawaii.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy stated, "I'm not marking him down as being out to start the season or anything like that. He's just not available this week."

Porziņģis has not participated in any training camp activities nor played in the team's four preseason games. Coach Steve Kerr provided little update on Oct. 8, mentioning he had reached out to Porziņģis, who seemed to be "doing OK."

The Warriors acquired Porziņģis at last season's trade deadline, sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks. In his 15 games with the Warriors, Porziņģis averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, though he faced ongoing injury issues throughout his career, including a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2018-19 season.

Porziņģis has struggled with health, having only reached the 65-game mark three times in ten seasons. Recently, he dealt with extreme fatigue and was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), affecting his daily life.

Currently, the Warriors face challenges with several players injured:

• Jimmy Butler - Torn ACL (Mid-season, $56.8 million)
• Kristaps Porziņģis - Illness (Unclear, $20 million)
• Moses Moody - Torn patellar tendon (Dec -- March 2027, $12.5 million)

Despite concerns about Porziņģis' health, the Warriors opted to re-sign him, hoping for his potential when healthy. Dunleavy acknowledged the need to balance talent and availability in roster construction. Coach Kerr emphasized the team's "next man up" mentality, supporting players like Porziņģis as they navigate this challenging situation.