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Phil Jackson Almost Transformed the Boston Celtics

By Joshua Bateman

BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 12: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the game on March 12, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 12: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the game on March 12, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Phil Jackson reportedly wanted to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics for the top pick in the draft

Phil Jackson’s tenure with the New York Knicks was one of the most miserable failures we have ever seen from an executive, and reports are now surfacing that he actually wanted to make it even worse.

The lone positive thing Jackson did for the Knicks was draft Kristaps Porzingis, who is on his way to become one of the most unique and dominant bigs the league has seen in a long time.

Peter Vecsey mentioned on Alex Kennedy’s podcast that Jackson wanted to trade their generational talent to the Boston Celtics for the number one picks, not to select Markelle Fultz, but to take Lonzo Ball away from his prized L.A destination.

Obviously, this would have a tremendous impact, changing the destinations of all three top picks in the draft, and probably a lot more after that.

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Who knows how the Celtics would have reacted to getting this as a serious trade offer, but that probably would have been the kind of deal that would finally get fans off of Danny Ainge’e back. In the end, it could end up being better for the Celtics that this did not happen, getting their top prospect and another pick in return.

It would be unrealisitic to expect either of these picks to turn out as good as Porzingis, but the two of them together could end up being more important for this team.

That being said, Porzingis could have transformed this Celtics team, completely changing how their lineup could have worked. The Celtics would have quickly solved their front court issues, putting together maybe the most unique pair of bigs the league has ever seen.

These are all what ifs and we cannot even know for sure how seriously Jackson wanted to trade Porzingis. It could be one of those situations where he would want a massive package that included the top pick for Porzingis, in which case stingy Ainge probably would have passed.

Porzingis is the kind of player that any franchise dreams of getting, so it might frustrate Celtics fans to hear there was an opportunity to get him. Jayson Tatum obviously has an opportunity to make sure nobody is wondering what could have been, but it would be unfair to expect Tatum to have the kind of impact that Porzingis would at this point.

This is yet another weird turn in what has been one of the most outrageous offseasons in NBA history. Maybe Jackson will reveal the truth if he decides to write another book. But, in the end, we now know that the Knicks will not be trading Porzingis and the Celtics will continue to have the most absurd collection of assets imaginable.

Next: What Kind of Pressure is on Brad Stevens

The worst part might actually be missing out on the reaction when Jackson selected Ball with the first overall pick. LaVar Ball’s response alone would be worth the price of admission, but losing Porzingis for something as risky and uncertain as Ball would have blown away the pinnacle of Jackson’s utterly dysfunctional tenure with the Knicks.

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