Celtics
The Celtics are seemingly leaving no stone unturned when it comes to clearing salary.
The Boston Celtics broke up their championship lineup on Monday by reportedly trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers.
But as Brad Stevens looks to retool Boston’s lineup and clear contracts in order to alleviate his team’s luxury-tax bill, could Kristaps Porzingis also be on his way out this offseason?
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Spurs have had “exploratory talks” about a Porzingis trade this offseason.
Writing on Marc Stein’s Substack last week, Fischer also reported that the Phoenix Suns might be interested in taking Porzingis’ contract off of Boston’s books.
“I’ve also heard that Phoenix has done some background work on Kristaps Porziņģis with Boston known to be exploring its trade options up and down the roster,” Fischer wrote.
On Tuesday evening, Marc Stein also reported that the Atlanta Hawks have “emerged as a serious trade suitor” for Porzingis.
The Spurs could be an appealing option for Porzingis, given San Antonio’s desire to add some frontcourt depth (and shooting talent) around Victor Wembanyama.
With Porzingis entering the final year of his contract at $30 million, the 7-foot-2 big man could be moved in a deal where San Antonio matches his salary by including players like Harrison Barnes ($19 million salary) along with a package of players with smaller contracts.
Even though Porzingis’ arrival in Boston via trade in June 2023 played a key role in the Celtics’ run to a title in 2024, the skilled big man’s tenure with the Celtics has been marred by injury and illness.
Porzingis played in just seven of Boston’s 19 playoff games during the Celtics’ run to Banner 18 — as he was sidelined by a calf injury and later an ankle ailment during the NBA Finals against Dallas that forced him to undergo surgery last offseason.
He was limited to 42 games in 2024-25 while recovering from that ankle surgery and later dealt with an extended illness. He averaged 19.5 points per game while knocking down 41.2 percent of his three-pointers to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest.
But, that illness returned during the playoffs and severely hampered Porzingis’ game. In 11 playoff games this past season, Porzingis averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds and shot 15.4 percent from 3-point range while logging an average of 21 minutes per contest.
“I don’t think anyone was more frustrated than him. I felt for him because the way it was describe to me was post-viral syndrome, which is just lingering effects of a long virus,” Brad Stevens said after Boston’s season ended in the second round. “I thought he really turned a corner at the end of the regular season, when we went to Madison Square Garden and he was so good [against the Knicks]. Even in the first round [against the Magic].”
On Tuesday, Porzingis took to social media to offer up an update on his health after another frustrating season.
“Thanks for all the support and questions about my health,” Porzingis wrote. “I’ve been feeling excellent all offseason and look forward to a healthy and strong European championship tournament with my [national team].”
Porzingis noted multiple times near the end of the 2024-25 season that he wanted to represent Latvia in the EuroBasket tournament, which will commence in August.
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