Celtics curiously overlooked for Kristaps Porzingis what Clippers didn’t for Malcolm Brogdon

The Boston Celtics curiously overlooked Kristaps Porzingis’ health status after the Los Angeles Clippers rejected being the third team in a Porzingis trade that’d send them Malcolm Brogdon due to the reigning Sixth Man of the Year’s lingering injury issues.

“The Celtics were not aware of the foot injury when they dealt away Marcus Smart, Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala as part of the three-team deal to acquire Porzingis in June,” MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote.

So for those keeping score at home, the Celtics’ front office was so set on acquiring the Latvian big man that they didn’t do the due diligence the Clippers did and ended up trading Marcus Smart away in the process. That’s admittedly painful and casts a shadow on Porzingis’ first season with the Cs.

Boston Celtics PBO downplays Kristaps Porzingis’ injury

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens did his best to downplay the injury concerns surrounding Porzingis’ foot injury; certainly not the kind of injury a seven-foot-three center whose game features athleticism would want.

“You never know how it all ends up,” Stevens prefaced before saying, “From a sports science perspective and physical therapists, they are as good as I’ve been around about navigating. and managing that if we do this now, we’ll be in good shape. If you manage it, if you treat it correctly and you ramp back up at the right rate, it has a lot less chance of being a lingering issue. This isn’t what I would call a significant injury that you are concerned about big picture.

“He was heartbroken not to do it but he put the opportunity here and took away any chance of having lingering effects by addressing it now. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Of course, Stevens has to say this. Porzingis was publically pulled from playing in a FIBA World Cup he was passionate about, and the team gave him an extension shortly after pulling the trigger on the eventual actual deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. Damage control is his No. 1 job ahead of training camp — one that Stevens never guaranteed Porzingis would be healthy for, instead focusing on the long-term trajectory of the big’s availability.

There’s no doubt about it, though: the Boston Celtics acted hastily and could end up looking like they lost the Porzingis-Smart swap in the early going. Like the 2022-23 season’s first half, though, adversity being overcome can keep the sportsbooks and fans confident in the Cs hanging Banner 18 from the TD Garden rafters soon.