Kristaps Porzingis’ Boston Celtics tenure came to a sad ending earlier this summer when he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a second-apron-inspired move. Porzingis had been a fan-favorite and a great locker room guy in Boston.
Unfortunately, the final chapter in his Celtics story was tragic. The big man was hindered by a lingering illness in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and struggled immensely. He averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 31.3% from the field and 15.4% from deep across 11 postseason appearances this spring.
It was an experience that he told HoopsHype challenged him both physically and mentally.
“You cannot imagine how frustrating it was,” he explained. “To be in the playoffs and not have the gas inside of you that you know you usually have. And it’s just hard for you, not only physically where you’re pushing yourself, but you don’t have it. But as you said, like, it’s just frustrating. It’s so frustrating. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, no? And I kind of took that as, okay, like, I have this problem with my hands now, and how can I solve it, you know?”
The Celtics' trade return for Kristaps Porzingis is going to be questioned
Though Porzingis hasn’t made his debut with the Hawks just yet, he showed signs of recovery during his EuroBasket run with Latvia
In six tournament games, Porzingis averaged 20.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Though Latvia’s run came to an end in the knockout stage, Porzingis died on his sword, so to speak. The big man logged 34 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks in the tournament-ending defeat against Lithuania.
“I’ve been doing things to improve my health, to feel good again. And I would say my gas tank is back up there,” Porzingis explained. “I’m 30 years old now, so getting a little bit old, but not too old. I feel like now are the best years for a basketball player to play high-level basketball, where your, mental is at a high level, your game, you know how you read the game, is at a high level, and physically also you’re there.”
Whether or not KP can carry the EuroBasket momentum with him to Atlanta has yet to be seen. But if he looks like himself this season, Boston’s return in the trade is going to feel very disappointing. After receiving veteran sharpshooter Georges Niang in the original deal, the Cs rerouted him to the Utah Jazz with a second-round pick in exchange for RJ Luis Jr.
So, the net return for Porzingis and a second-round pick was an undrafted rookie.
It doesn’t help that KP is typically a lock to miss at least 20 games each season. His injury history certainly diminishes his value.
Don’t get it twisted. The Celtics HAD to move Porzingis to dive below the second-apron threshold. Being as far over the salary cap as they had been simply wasn’t sustainable. It’s just disappointing to see an impactful player like Porzingis garner no return in the trade.
That’s just the unfortunate reality of the CBA.