We are deep into NBA trade season here in 2021, and as things begin to normalize–the state of New York is now allowing fans into stadiums, and success in suppressing the spread of the virus could mean Massachusetts isn’t far behind–the Boston Celtics are nearing a critical stretch in the season.
Down to .500 for the first time this late in the season since Brad Stevens took over in 2013, Boston has had an underwhelming start that could turn to a campaign-long malaise for fans wondering about the team’s long-term prospects.
Kemba Walker has been as inconsistent as anyone making over $30 million this season. His knees are a concern, as they were in 2019-20. The reason why that concern has grown is that the suspension of the season last March should have given him enough time to heal.
Now, there is the unsettling possibility that the inability to have access to the team’s training staff during the deepest depths of the pandemic could have done irreparable damage to his rehabilitation.
While he has had several throwback games of late (he scored 28 points, dropped six dimes, grabbed five boards, and collected three steals against Atlanta on Friday in a win), his season has been an inspiration for anxiety for Boston Celtics fans far and wide.
With Walker being such a cause for concern, Hardwood Houdini has been exploring different avenues to find a suitable trade partner for Kemba Walker.
Recent rumors of the Dallas Mavericks sniffing around for a trade partner for Kristaps Porzingis and his $29 million in salary have the trade wheels spinning in my head…but not without one pivotal question consuming my thoughts:
Should the Boston Celtics acquire Porzingis or facilitate him going elsewhere?
Let’s check out the pros and cons of nabbing the Latvian center:
Pros of Boston Celtics pursuing Kristaps Porzingis
The most obvious pro for the Cs in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis is the lack of an obviously superior big man already on the depth chart. While you can convince yourself that Daniel Theis is a poor man’s Zingis, that would be ignoring the physical distinctiveness. Few athletes in the league match up to KP’s height and frame, and the ones that do match or exceed it contribute nowhere near the game-to-game production Porzingis has put forth while in a Mavs uniform.
Bol Bol and Tacko Fall are more social media wonders than on-court needle-movers. Porzingis is a legitimate former All-Star that has been putting up 20 points per game the last two years in Dallas.
Porzingis, who was linked to the Boston Celtics in 2017 when Phil Jackson was running things in New York, is likely a better fit now than he would have been then. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could use another player to garner attention on the offensive end, and having the ability to rise up over just about every opposing defender certainty qualifies the 2015 NBA Draft’s #4 pick a magnet for defenders.
Acquiring Porzingis would also mean that the team was able to find a way to ship off Walker’s deal. Swapping out the six-foot-tall point guard for the seven-foot-three center would increase the attention teams would need to show to the Cs in the post and allow the “Jays” to operate with more room on the perimeter.
Cons of Boston Celtics pursuing Kristaps Porzingis
For all of the worries fans should have about Kemba Walker’s knee issues, there might be even more reasons to worry about the knees of Kristaps Porzingis. Remember, Porzingis is not even three years removed from an ACL tear that wiped away his entire 2018-19 campaign for the New York Knicks.
While he has returned and proven to be decently durable in his time with Dallas, having a seven-foot-three asset with such a traumatic injury history is equally worrisome to having a 30-year-old point guard reliant on athleticism with shaky lower extremities.
Porzingis may not move the needle enough to justify uprooting the entire core of the Celtics just yet. While Walker’s name has been bandied about for lesser players than Porzingis around these parts, most have been cheaper and have never had an ACL tear.
That it may take multiple draft picks to acquire KP leaves the frightening proposition that the Mavericks could be picking for the Cs after a down-year in which the Latvian was unable to suit up for the majority of the games.
Danny Ainge is usually on the other side of such a transaction. Acquiring Porzingis carries way too much risk for a general manager that is seemingly averse to making waves midseason.