Through 30 games played, the Boston Celtics find themselves serving as arguably the most disappointing team from this current campaign.
Despite making it to within two games of the NBA Finals last season, and having reached three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals, the shamrocks are currently boasting an underwhelming .500 record of 15-15, while being losers in nine of their last 15 outings, most recently giving up a 24-point second-half lead to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In short, this team is playing far below expectations.
Now, as we approach the midway point of the season, the Cs reside in the sixth seed out in the Eastern Conference and look to gear up for a second-half surge to climb their way back to the top of the standings.
Could the Boston Celtics be in the trade conversation for Kristaps Porzingis?
Of course, a turnaround to the season won’t be easy, but fans and the media alike have ideas on how the Boston Celtics could go about saving this rapidly sinking ship.
According to General Manager and President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, the front office will be prioritizing a search for “shooters with size” between now and year’s end.
While there are quite a few options out there already, one specific player who fits this mold recently made his way into the rumor mill as a talent that could be shopped between now and the March 25th NBA Trade Deadline.
That player: Mavericks center, Kristaps Porzingis.
Brought to light by Bleacher Report writer Jake Fischer, it has been reported that Dallas has been “quietly gauging” KP’s trade value.
With this, Houdini co-Expert Andrew Hughes took to listing some “pros and cons” about the idea of trading for the sixth-year big and, to our surprise, fans of the franchise have claimed to be open to the idea of Ainge and co. pursuing him.
Now, first, let’s get this out of the way: we do not believe that Kristaps Porzingis will be traded away from the Dallas Mavericks this season, nor do we believe that the Celtics will be looking to deal for him even if he was being shopped.
That said, because of the feedback we got in regard to our pros and cons piece, we decided to concoct 2 trades the Cs could theoretically propose in a hypothetical scenario in which Porzingis is found on the block and, in turn, Boston finds themselves interested in pursuing the talented big:
(**Pieces scheduled prior to Tuesday night’s outcome**)
Boston Celtics trade idea No. 1) Cs bolster their frontcourt
First up, we see the Boston Celtics taking on the task of bolstering their frontcourt by bringing aboard both Kristaps Porzingis and Dwight Powell.
Starting with the latter, we see the 29-year-old heading back to where his NBA career actually began seven years ago in Beantown. Being dealt to the Mavericks in his rookie season as a part of the Rajon Rondo trade, the center has since carved out a nice role for himself in Dallas’ rotation.
Now, in 2020-21, Powell is serving as a defensive commodity down low, boasting the second-highest defensive box plus-minus of his career while averaging 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in just over 16 minutes a night.
Of course, the prized jewel in this ordeal is Porzingis, where we see he and the remaining four years left on his deal heading to Boston to pair alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown heading into the future.
Though missing the first nine games of the season, the Latvian-born baller has managed to produce quite nicely, especially as he’s gotten more comfortable playing on his surgically repaired knee.
Through 17 games played, Porzingis is averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from deep.
He’d be perhaps the best talent the Cs have had down low since Kevin Garnett and would obviously give this team that highly coveted upgrade at the pivot.
With this move, a dream-scenario starting five of Marcus Smart (once he’s healthy), Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, and Robert Williams III (it’s time to free the Time Lord) would be one to marvel at if you’re a Celtics fan.
In turn, the Mavericks get Kemba Walker as the main draw in return who, when he was last a free agent, was heavily sought after by the franchise.
With the perennial All-Star in tow, it would allow Luka Doncic to play more off-ball and sift through the crowd to find easier looks.
The point guard’s arrival would also ease up the defense considerably when the third-year pro has the ball in his hands as Walker, though he may be off to a slow start this season, is still known as a lethal scorer, even superior to that of KP — currently averaging 17 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds on 35 percent shooting from deep.
Dallas also brings back Daniel Theis — arguably a diluted version of Porzingis — to roll in at the five as his replacement, Grant Williams who, in his second season, is developing nicely into a quality rotation piece, Romeo Langford, and a future unprotected first-round pick in return.
Boston Celtics trade idea No. 2) Cs bring on KP and a point guard replacement
Like we said in the last trade, the prized jewel is, obviously, Kristaps Porzingis and his unicorn play style.
That said, there is also one other player who looks to have quite a lot of promise in this league moving forward, and that man is third-year point guard Jalen Brunson.
The former second-round pick finds himself having a career year in 2020-21, posting averages of 12 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent shooting from deep.
A quick and crafty scoring guard, Brunson seems to be the type of player Brad Stevens loves to have at point and, at just 24-years-old, fits the timeline that Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Porzingis are on.
The Boston Celtics also see Dorian Finney-Smith coming aboard to serve as a capable tweener forward who can help space the floor and execute on the less glamorous side of the ball as well as Wesley Iwundu for salary cap purposes.
Obviously, in this deal we see the Boston Celtics getting a bit more in regard to talent than the previous package, so, in return, they must send a bit more.
Still we see the likes of Walker, Theis, and Grant Williams making their way to Texas. However, alongside them heads the C’s latest lottery selection in Aaron Nesmith — averaged 23 points on 52 percent shooting from deep during finals season in college –, an unprotected 2022 first and a lottery-protected pick in 2024.