Kristaps Porzingis to miss two weeks with illness, Trae Young nears return

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks will be without Kristaps Porzingis for the next two weeks, the team announced Sunday. The center has missed seven of the past eight games with an illness and will undergo further evaluations through late December.

“To ensure he continues to make progress toward a full recovery, he will continue this period of limited basketball activities and evaluation for two weeks, after which time his status will be updated,” the team wrote in a statement.

Porzingis last played Dec. 5, scoring 25 points in Atlanta's 134-133 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The Hawks acquired Porzingis on June 24 in a three-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. Porzingis played for the Celtics for two years and helped Boston to its 18th NBA title in 2024.

The Hawks will be losing one star and gaining another. Trae Young is set to return to action this week after sustaining a right MCL sprain in a late October contest in Brooklyn.

“He continues to increase his reconditioning activities and is expected to return to practice next week,” the team wrote in a statement released Saturday.

Young is a four-time NBA All-Star, 2022 All-NBA Third-Team selection and 2019 All-Rookie First-Team selection. He led the NBA and set a franchise record with 880 assists during the 2024-25 season, averaging 11.6 per game.

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