As Atlanta Hawks star Kristaps Porzingis will be out for two more weeks with his recent bout with an illness, there has been speculation around his status of being traded before the deadline. Though the Hawks' big man in Porzingis has shut down concerns of a repeat illness, like the one he was dealing with the Boston Celtics last season, an NBA insider touches on how that could impact business.
Marc Stein would talk about Porzingis and Atlanta in the latest edition of “The Stein Line,” saying that if Atlanta does any “significant trade business,” it is “expected to include” Porzingis and his expiring contract. However, with the ongoing illnesses that Porzingis is dealing with, it remains to be seen if it throws a wrench into any interest.
“Any significant trade business that Atlanta does in-season is expected to include the $30.7 million expiring contract held by Kristaps Porziņģis, but the Hawks announced Sunday that the Latvian big man will be sidelined for at least two more weeks as he continues to be plagued by illness after last season's similar woes in Boston. Porziņģis missed seven of the Hawks' previous eight games before the announcement,” Stein wrote.
Hawks' Kristaps Porzingis dealt with illness before
While the Hawks star was dealing with a mystery illness at the time with the Celtics last season, there has been more information regarding what he was suffering from. When Shams Charania of ESPN reported Porzingis missing two more weeks, he would say that he was diagnosed with “postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.”
“Porzingis was diagnosed with the autonomic condition, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), last season in Boston,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He and doctors found solutions over the summer to manage his health, and he entered the Hawks season in good condition — before recent bout of illness.”
It remains to be seen when exactly Porzingis will come back, as he's missed eight of the last nine games, but Atlanta is currently at a 15-12 record, putting them ninth in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks next face the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
