Many were watching the Golden State Warriors closely ahead of the trade deadline, with expectations that they would pursue a blockbuster move for Giannis Antetokounmpo. But that never materialized. Instead, the Warriors pivoted and acquired Kristaps Porzingis.
The move may not have matched the expectations fans had, but it still gave Golden State a unique piece to work with.
Porzingis is obviously no Giannis, but he still brings value as a stretch big who can protect the rim. If he were healthy, the move might’ve drawn more excitement. For now, the Warriors will have to wait for a healthy Porzingis to show why they brought him in.
Despite the wait, there’s still belief inside the locker room that the move can pay off. For one, Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton is already buying into the vision. And he didn’t hold back. Melton even compared the addition of Porzingis to the Spurs drafting Victor Wembanyama.
“He’s a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. You see with the Spurs, you have Wemby, who’s 7-a lot, and the stuff he can do and the matchup nightmares he brings to the table. So I think (Porziņģis being) out there, it’s just going to give us a lot of size and a lot of mismatches that we need. Some teams he’s gonna kill just cause they can’t physically match up with him.”
De’Anthony Melton compares the Warriors adding Kristaps Porzingis to the Spurs having Wemby
“He’s a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. You see with the Spurs, you have Wemby, who’s 7-a lot, and the stuff he can do and the matchup nightmares he brings to the table. So I think… pic.twitter.com/yQqB8J1Fgk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 18, 2026
