As Kristaps Porzingis' future with the Golden State Warriors hangs in the balance, an NBA insider is dumping cold water on a potential trade flip for the NBA championship-winning big man. Porzingis has yet to play for the Warriors this season, as he's been sidelined with an illness.
Fischer said the Markkanen trade chatter online comes from the Warriors’ expected push for trade additions, with Porzingis’ expiring salary as the matching piece.
“There’s been some chatter online that we’ve clocked here at Bleacher Report about people wondering if Lauri Markkanen could become available. I think a lot of that speculation has been brought up as it pertains to the fact that the Golden State Warriors are going to be certainly pursuing additions on the trade market by way of Kristaps Porzingis’s $20 million expiring salary. That’s essentially expiring because it’s only guaranteed for $3 million for next year’s upcoming 2027-28 campaign.”
He then explained why the salary math makes a Markkanen deal difficult, saying Golden State would have to include Draymond Green.
“Lauri Markkanen makes a significant amount more money than Kristaps Porzingis, and they would essentially have to add Draymond Green in order to do that. At this point in time, I think that the Warriors trading for Lauri Markkanen is a little bit far-fetched right now, just based off the salary math it would have to do.”
Golden State has been interested in marketing for years. ClutchPoints senior NBA reporter Brett Siegel reported interest in the talented forward for years. The interest started in 2024 with Siegel reporting that the Warriors were in heavy trade talks about securing marketing services.
Article Continues Below“The Warriors were at the forefront of trade talks revolving around Markkanen at the start of free agency, sources said, as were the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings,” Siegel reported in August 2024.
Siegel also reported that the Warriors were looking to pull off a trade for Paul George and Markkanen that ultimately fell through. There was significant movement in 2025 regarding the Warriors' pursuit of the Utah Jazz forward, including Draymond Green weighing in, telling the Golden State Warriors front office not to trade young assets and to be prepared for a stiff negotiation with Jazz general manager Danny Ainge.
Now the Warriors once again find themselves in the running for Lauri Markkanen's services, but the price could be too steep for Golden State to bare.