Subscribe
Follow Us
The Boston Celtics could be looking to move Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics' outlook going forward changed drastically when Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon. With him healthy on the roster, the Celtics were arguably the league's biggest threat to win the NBA Finals in upcoming seasons, so ownership was okay paying a high tax bill for an expensive roster.
Without him, though, the team's championship odds drastically declined. Tatum will be out for all of next season, so now is the time for Boston to get their finances in check. The team is at risk to being over the second apron for the third year in a row, but trading away Kristaps Porzingis would cut costs in a big way.
In this hypothetical trade with the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic, the Celtics get just $229K away from being under the second apron, and if they can get there, they will avoid having the NBA put their first-round pick at the end of the first round.
Porzingis doesn't hold the best trade value because of his pricey contract and extensive injury history, but teams around the league still value him. The Magic could use his services, and the Pistons could help make the money work.
Magic trade proposal for Kristaps Porzingis
Magic receive: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics receive: Caleb Houston, Mo Wagner, 2025 second-round pick (via Boston from Orlando)
Pistons receive: Cory Joseph, Gary Harris, Goga Bitadze, 2025 second-round pick (via Orlando)
The Magic desperately need offense, especially more shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. In fact, the team ranked last in deep-ball shooting this past season.
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are an exciting young duo, but both players are slashers. Defensive-minded players fill out a good chunk of the rest of the team's rotation, such as Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Jalen Suggs, and Wendell Carter Jr.
Porzingis would fit well in Orlando. The Latvian big man is one of the best 3-point shooting centers in the NBA, evidenced by his 41.2% rate from deep this past season.
He spent the last two seasons playing alongside a star pair of forwards in Tatum and Jaylen Brown, so he'd definitely work with Wagner and Banchero. He also proved he can play alongside a fellow big man in Al Horford, so he would work in lineups with Carter or Isaac.
Additionally, the Magic have long loved length. Porzingis is 7-foot-2. The team's defense wouldn't take a hit in this trade because Porzingis can block shots down low. Because of the Celtics' financial crisis, the Magic wouldn't even have to give up any of their core.
This is a move that could get the Magic over the hump. Porzingis has frequently been hurt throughout his career as have a number of the Magic's roster. Injuries have at times sidelined Carter and Isaac throughout their careers, and Suggs and Banchero had significant injuries last season.
Article Continues Below
Depending on such an injury-prone lineup is worrisome, but the risk would be worth the potential reward for Orlando, especially because the Magic have tons of depth.
Why would the Pistons or Celtics agree to this Kristaps Porzingis trade?
The Celtics would love to get back a nice haul in return for Porzingis, but that is looking unlikely, especially because teams know how desperate the Celtics are to get their payroll in check.
The significant piece the Celtics get in this trade is Mo Wagner. That is underwhelming at first glance, but the center could reliably replace the center minutes lost with Porzingis being shipped out.
Prior to suffering a season-ending injury, Wagner was looking like a Sixth Man of the Year-caliber player last season. The brother of Franz has impressive footwork and shooting touch inside.
The Celtics would also return their second-round pick in this year's draft if they were to do this deal. That pick only comes in at selection No. 57, but the Celtics need cheap players on their roster.
The trick in this deal for Boston will be getting the Pistons to agree to take on salary. The Pistons are ready to compete now, so they wouldn't be the average team that would partake in a salary dump. However, the Pistons have the most projected cap space this offseason, and they also only have 10 standard contract players under contract for next season.
They'd love to bring back unrestricted free agents such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Dennis Schroder, but those players may all be pursuing big paydays on the open market.
The Pistons could take on Goga Bitadze, Gary Harris, and Cory Joseph's contracts. All three of those players can contribute rotation minutes if need be. The draft pick would incentivize the Pistons to do this deal, too.
None of Bitadze, Harris, or Joseph are too expensive, and they are all on short-term deals, too, so this leaves the Pistons a little bit of room to still make a splash in free agency. Joseph also has experience playing in Detroit, and he'd be welcomed back with open arms.
