Last month, former Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis became a casualty in the team’s battle with the NBA’s second apron. The Latvian big man was traded away to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, which netted Boston Georges Niang and some salary relief, just over a year after helping the franchise win its 18th NBA Championship.
Unfortunately, the quest to repeat as champions didn’t go as planned for Porzingis and the Celtics. Boston was bounced from the playoffs earlier than expected, while KP struggled. The big man was essentially neutralized by a lingering illness that left him feeling fatigued, dizzy, and even as if he could faint at any moment, he told Sports Studija during a recent interview.
He averaged just 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game on a rough 31.6% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc.
Trade rumors loomed large of the Celtics' 2025 playoff run
His entire playoff run was a pretty sad watch, especially considering that those would likely be his final games as a Celtic. Rumors had long been swirling that Porzingis, among others, could be moved in the summer to cut Boston’s salary below the second-apron threshold. The $64 million owed to him and Jrue Holiday was consistently highlighted as the easiest area to cut without derailing the idea of sustained success in Boston. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White would all remain with the team as the front office worked to reload the supporting cast.
“The rumors started popping up during the season already,” KP explained. “It didn’t exactly distract us, but we knew this team might not stay together due to the salary cap.”
Though the writing was on the wall, Tatum’s Achilles injury felt like the final nail in the coffin for the championship core of the Celtics.
Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Porzingis to Atlanta within 24 hours. While the big man is excited about his fit with the Hawks and the team’s potential, he had initially thought he’d be headed to a different destination.
“After the season, I spoke to my agent and kind of expected that one or more of us would be traded. For a while, I thought I might end up with the [San Antonio] Spurs, but then Atlanta came in—and that was a nice surprise. It was out of my hands.”
Ironically, the Spurs still walked away with a Celtics center, just a different one. They signed Luke Kornet to a four-year, $41 million contract in the opening days of free agency.
Porzingis’ “nice surprise” will be an interesting watch, for sure. He fits nicely into a young, defensive-minded Hawks team, and will be a great pick-and-roll partner for star guard Trae Young.
Though his tenure with the Cs likely wasn’t as long as he would’ve hoped, many in Boston will still remember him fondly.