Kristaps Porziņģis at center of Warriors turmoil, Pacific Division roundup

The Pacific Division woke up to a flood of uncertainty around Kristaps Porziņģis and the Golden State Warriors, while the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings both absorbed heavy opening-night losses.

Warriors: Golden State shops Porziņģis amid health concerns

According to ESPN, as relayed by Hoops Rumors, the Warriors have begun exploring the trade market for Kristaps Porziņģis, who is currently sidelined. Hoops Rumors reports that Porziņģis is seriously contemplating his basketball future as he deals with recurring symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). CBS Sports and Hoops Rumors both note that Golden State is looking at multiple trade avenues, with Porziņģis having missed the entire preseason and his future with the franchise and in the league now in doubt.

The Athletic, via Hoops Rumors, adds that the Bucks are among the teams contacted by Golden State in connection with these discussions. On the court, the Warriors remain 0-1 in the Pacific standings.

Suns: Blowout in Portland and a new starting center

On the floor, the Suns opened their regular season with a 124-83 loss on the road in Portland, dropping them to 0-1. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, via Hoops Rumors, notes that second-year big man Khaman Maluach earned the start at center in the opener. The same report indicates that Phoenix’s top center, Mark Williams, is expected to miss a significant portion of the season, helping explain Maluach’s elevation into the starting role.

Clippers, Kings, Lakers: LAC cruises, Sacramento eyes Knecht, Doncic talks future

Across the division, the LA Clippers throttled the Sacramento Kings 121-96, jumping to 1-0 while dropping Sacramento to 0-1.

Off the court, Hoops Rumors reports that the Kings are among the teams showing interest in former Lakers wing Dalton Knecht after he cleared waivers. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Sacramento views him as a potential two-way contract target.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, who sit at 1-0 without playing on Wednesday, the focus is on Luka Dončić’s long-term outlook. As relayed by Hoops Rumors from the California Post, Dončić said he was blindsided by his trade to the Lakers and stated that he’d like to spend the rest of his career with the organization, while acknowledging how unpredictable NBA careers can be.