The Warriors’ most ambitious trade deadline swing has yet to touch the floor. Weeks after shipping out Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State is still waiting for its 7-foot-2 floor-spacing centerpiece to debut.

Illness and lingering Achilles tendinitis have limited the Latvian big man to just 17 games this season, with his last appearance coming on January 7. Now, though, Porzingis is signaling that the wait may finally be over and his return could arrive at a pivotal moment in the Warriors’ postseason push.

Porzingis spent the All-Star break ramping up with Golden State’s training staff and scrimmaged with the team Wednesday night. Speaking to reporters afterward, he sounded both comfortable and intrigued by Steve Kerr’s free-flowing system. “I think I like the offence. I like the simplicity, in a way; I like the freedom, and I think that’s the hardest regard because we don’t even know what we’re doing exactly, a lot of times. It’s just playing freely,” he said about the team.

Now, the Warriors have put a day-to-day tag on KP. However, he may debut against his former team, the Boston Celtics, on Thursday. Meanwhile, Steve Kerr said he will ease Porzingis into the rotation, giving him controlled stretches and limited minutes to start. “Weird,” the 29-year-old said when the media asked him how he would feel to go against the Cs with Al Horford by his side.

“Who would believe this? But this is how it works. Obviously, we expected Boston to have some changes with the money stuff, but it’s going to be weird,” KP added. “It’s going to be cool seeing all the guys again and just going out there and playing, hoping and just letting them enjoy it.”

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At the same time, Kristaps Porzingis gave an update about his health and return. The media asked him if he was sure about Thursday’s debut. “I don’t know how much I can say, but…” Well, returning to the court sounds like the big man’s sole plan right now. “Yeah, questionable, but feeling good and ready to go.” Meanwhile, Coach Kerr plans to make Porzingis a focal point offensively, and the team used the last two days to fine-tune its spacing around his post touches.

KP is impactful when healthy. He has averaged 17.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 2.7 apg in 17 appearances. Meanwhile, not everything is going well within the Warriors. The team is preparing for  Porzingis to return, but Stephen Curry has delayed his comeback.

Kristaps Porzingis inspires hope, Steph Curry raises concern

The Baby-Faced Assassin has missed time on the floor since leaving the game in Q2 against the Pistons on January 30. Since then, the Golden State Warriors and Dub Nation have been counting down the days to his return. On Feb. 5, Stephen Curry shared that his runner’s knee was improving and moving in a positive direction. So, hope became a part of the conversation, until it wasn’t.

Steve Kerr confirmed Wednesday that Stephen Curry will miss Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics. Earlier in the evening, Curry and the Warriors’ training staff decided against a full workout after he felt his knee was not ready.

As a result, caution prevailed. “We’ve got to be certain, he’s got to be certain,” Kerr said. “It is a little nebulous, but that’s the nature of the injury.”

This season, the Warriors have posted a 59% win rate with Stephen Curry available. However, when injuries or rest keep him off the floor, that number drops sharply to 37.5%. The contrast underlines how vital Steph remains to the team’s success.

Therefore, the Golden State Warriors are in a tightrope situation. With a 29-26 record and 8th place in the West, they need more wins to keep them in the at least the Play-In conversation. And for that to happen, they need Stephen Curry. However, he won’t be returning this Thursday. Instead, Kristaps Porzingis is giving the much-needed hope.