NEED TO KNOW

• Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis has been away from the team dealing with a private “health issue”

• ESPN reported on Oct. 12 that Porziņģis “remains away from the Warriors as they begin third week of the preseason”

• Head coach Steve Kerr said Porziņģis will meet with the team’s performance staff at the facilities on Tuesday, Oct. 13

Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porziņģis remains away from the team while dealing with an undisclosed illness.

On Monday, Oct. 12, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that 31-year-old Porziņģis, who has been dealing with a private “health issue” for the last two weeks, “remains away from the Warriors as they begin third week of the preseason.”

The Warriors front office and Rick Celebrini, the director of sports medicine and performance for Golden State, are “in consistent contact” with the veteran center, Slater said. However, a timeline for his return to the team “remains indefinite.”

On Sept. 28, ESPN reported that the Warriors were “keeping the details private” regarding Porziņģis’ absence from the team’s trip to Hawaii for a preseason game against the LA Clippers on Oct. 4. General manager Mike Dunleavy said in September he was “not marking [Porziņģis] down as being out to start the season or anything like that,” according to CBS.

However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday that Porziņģis will be at the facilities the following day to meet with the front office and Celebrini, according to ESPN. “No update beyond that. But he’ll be in the building meeting with Rick [Celebrini] and the performance staff,” he said.

The Warriors play their first game of the season on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21, and they play a preseason matchup against Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in Las Vegas.

On Oct. 8, Kerr said he had been exchanging text messages with Porziņģis, who was “doing okay,” per CBS.

Porziņģis was selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was named an All-Star during the 2017-18 season with the Knicks, becoming the first Latvian-born player to compete in an All-Star Game.

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