The Boston Celtics pulled off one of the offseason's biggest and most shocking moves, as they executed a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies to land former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis. On the verge of making it back to the NBA Finals this past year, Boston realized they needed a little bit more firepower on their roster, especially in their frontcourt.

With the ability to stretch his game out to the perimeter and be a factor not only as a defensive rebounder, but as a shot-blocker given his length, Porzingis has a chance to be a real X-factor in the Celtics' championship pursuit. However, injuries have held him back through the years and he will need to be healthy when it matters most if Boston is to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals and potentially the NBA Finals again.

Set to play for his home country of Latvia in this summer's FIBA World Cup, Porzingis received some negative news on Wednesday, as it was reported that the 7'3″ big man has been dealing with a foot injury that could sideline him through the World Cup.

However, the Latvian Basketball Union refuted these reports on Thursday morning, stating that they deny this information and that Porzingis' plans, as well as the team's overall training process, are ongoing. At this time, it is unclear whether or not Porzingis is actually dealing with a foot injury or not, but Latvia's claim suggests that he is not prepared to sit out.

Boston is likely monitoring Porzingis status at this time, as the last thing they want is for him to play in an international competition if he is not 100 percent. Just last offseason, veteran forward Danilo Gallinari was representing his home country of Italy in an international game before he suffered a torn ACL and missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season. The Celtics are not going to want to make the same mistake this year with Porzingis, who is expected to hold an even more valuable role.

Dealing with injuries is nothing new to Porzingis, as he has missed plenty of time through the years due to ankle and knee issues. This past NBA season marked the first time the former first-round pick played in at least 65 games since the 2016-17 season, his second year in the league.

In those 65 games he played in with the Wizards, Porzingis averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.