Limited by the NBA's second apron cap restrictions, the Boston Celtics are facing tough off-season decisions, likely needing to move a couple of starters from their championship team.
One of the potential exits is center Kristaps Porzingis, who only has one year left on his deal, but durability concerns reared their ugly head during the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Porzingis is almost 30 years old, although his injury history is extremely long already, a potential sign of his play declining earlier than usual for a player of his size.
Realistically, a big man's prime can extend into ages 34-36 if they maintain their body and develop a jumpshot. Porzingis does have the ability to space the floor, but his body continues to break down, making it risky to commit money to him long-term.
During the Celtics' playoff series against the New York Knicks, Porzingis was severely compromised with a mysterious illness. Previously, he battled several lower-body injuries.
Set to make $30 million this upcoming season, the team has to make a decision about whether or not to keep Porzingis.
He could still fetch a solid trade package for a center-needy team, giving the team salary relief and some tools to get the roster younger.
The Athletic's Jay King made the case for keeping Porzingis in a mail bag article.
"The Celtics outscored opponents by 19.2 points per 100 possessions with Porziņģis on the court during that stretch," King wrote in his story.
"It’s hard to believe the same guy who effortlessly flicked away the Knicks with 34 points during the final week of the regular season failed to score more than 8 points in any playoff game against them, but Porziņģis wasn’t the same throughout the postseason.
"Does that mean the Celtics should give up on him entirely? Probably not. He had reasons for floundering in the playoffs. Before then, he had produced for Boston whenever he was healthy."
If the Celtics decide to keep Porzingis, they will need to trade one or two of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, or Jrue Holiday.
Given that Jayson Tatum is not playing next season, the Celtics need to be careful about which veterans stay and go.
With non-title expectations next season, the Celtics trade those veterans for young players or draft picks, making the roster younger and building for Tatum's return.
