The NBA trade deadline last year saw the arrival of Jimmy Butler in the Bay Area. He essentially saved the Golden State Warriors' season and was the catalyst for their late-season and playoff push. This time around, the Warriors and their fans will be looking to their big trade pickup to see how much impact he can have.

Kristaps Porzinigs was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield the night before the trade deadline. The one-time All-Star has played sparingly this year due to a variety of injuries, but projects to be a good offensive and defensive fit next to the rest of the Warriors when he can hit the court.

Though expectations may not be as high for the new face in the Warriors' locker room as it was when Butler was traded for, there is still hope and excitement that Porzingis can make a big impact and help the Warriors make a second-straight late season push into a playoff run.

On Saturday, Porzingis spoke to the media for the first time as a member of the Warriors and gave his thoughts on the trade.

"I had no idea. It was a surprise and it was late at night, too, so right before sleep. It was a surprise to me. I'm excited as always. Especially once I found out where I'm going, knowing that Al (Horford) is here and always like the fanbase here. I thought it would be an exciting opportunity."

Most recently, Porzingis has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis as the main issue keeping him out of games, but has been ramping up. Working alongside Warriors trainer Rick Celebrini, who is often seen as one of the best in the game, is sure to help, as well.

"It was a good workout (this morning). Building slowly back up. Once I start playing, I want to hit the ground running, that's my goal. Feeling pretty good, (it's) step-by-step."

As a 7-foot-2 big that can stretch the floor and offer rim protection, Porzingis would immediately slot in as a unique talent the Warriors have never had.

Porzingis acknowledged that his skillset should fit in seamlessly with the Warriors.

"I think it will be pretty natural. I think I always say that because I think I'm the type of player that can fit into any offense, so I expect it to be pretty smooth. Of course, it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted to everybody, to get used to how I like to play and where I like to get the ball, but these guys are very experienced. They've played at a high level for a very long time, so I believe it'll be easy and I'll also be able to learn from them."

For his career, Porzingis is a 36.6% three-point shooter and averages 1.8 blocks per game. Over the past three years in Boston and Atlanta, his three-point percentage rises to 38.8% from beyond the arc and paints a promising picture for the versatility he can provide on both ends of the floor. 

Porzingis was also very impactful for the Hawks when he did play this year. Across his 369 minutes, Porzingis had an on/off rating of +3.1 on offense and -3.8 on defense, totaling a net on/off rating of +6.9. Though it's a smaller sample size, it's a significantly better net rating than everyone on the Warriors outside of Jimmy Butler and De'Anthony Melton.

It remains to be seen when Porzingis will be healthy and ready to play, but he'll surely add a new dimension to the Warriors when he does hit the court.