Following the Boston Celtics’ playoff loss to the New York Knicks, many think they may blow up the team and trade away key pieces. 
Everyone on the Celtics roster is making a lot of money. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both set to make north of $60 million a year.
One impact player getting paid a lot is the team’s starting center, Kristaps Porziņģis.
Porziņģis’ first years in the NBA
Drafted out of Latvia with the No. 4 overall pick to the New York Knicks, Porziņģis was touted as “the original unicorn,” by Hoops Hype, as a 7-foot-3 center who could space the floor and had solid defensive ability.
Though Knicks fans originally hated the pick, when Porziņģis finally got on the court, he silenced his doubters. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game en route to a No. 2 finish in the Rookie of the Year award race, losing to Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Porziņģis’ time in New York was successful for him as a player. He improved each year and the NBA named him an All-Star in the 2017-18 season after averaging 22.7 and 6.6 rebounds per game. He was the Knicks’ best player in a time when the team was struggling, losing 53 games in that same season.
After an injury-prone 2018-19 season, Porziņģis was traded to Dallas in a deal centered around him and rising young guard Dennis Smith Jr.
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Passed Around the League
In Dallas, Porziņģis became the running mate to another budding star, Luka Dončić. The two were the catalysts to many successful regular seasons. The team didn’t see much playoff success in Porziņģis’ time there, so they traded him to Washington at the 2021-22 trade deadline for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
Teams passed Porziņģis around the league in his first six years, but there was no doubting his talents. To this day, he is probably one of the 50 best players in the NBA. He just couldn’t find a true home anywhere.
Porziņģis’ time in Washington was probably his best as a player. In two years he averaged over 22 points and over 8 rebounds per game. Though he was playing well, he was stuck in the same loop as his time in New York. He was having individual success but not team success.
Critics often attribute “empty stats” to players who fill the stat sheet but don’t produce results. Many were giving that label to Porziņģis before his time in Boston.
Trade to Title Town
Led by the aforementioned Tatum and Brown, the Celtics had been one of the best teams of the 2020s decade. They have finished at or above .500 in every year since 2020. They even made the NBA Finals in the 2021-2022 season, losing to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Their surrounding crew of Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon were not enough to get them over the hump, so they sent all of them away.
They first traded Smart, who was the heart and soul of the team for nearly a decade. They sent him, plus Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, for Porziņģis, giving the Celtics a legit “big three.”
They then traded Williams III and Brogdon for Jrue Holiday, one of the league’s best defenders and a true impact player.
The Celtics’ new starting five of Holiday, Derrick White, Brown, Tatum and Porziņģis instantly became the best in the league. They instantly became the favorites to win the the championship.
That year, under second-year head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics won 64 games and made it to the finals to face off against the Mavericks.
NBA Finals Run
The Celtics were a force in the playoffs, only losing two games prior to the finals. They did all this without Porziņģis, who injured his calf in game four of the first round against the Miami Heat.
The media liked to push the narrative that Dallas had the two best scorers in the series, in Dončić and Kyrie Irving. While both are naturally gifted scorers, Dallas lacked depth around their two stars. The Celtics did not struggle with this issue.
In Game 1, returning from injury, Porziņģis would showcase Boston’s incredible high-end depth. In just 20 minutes off the bench, the big man scored 20 points on 8-13 from the field, and also tallied three blocks. He was the best player in that game thanks to his elite efficiency.
The Celtics would go on to win the finals in five games, thanks in large part to Porziņģis’ contributions off the bench.
Preparing for Life Post-Porziņģis
If the Celtics were to trade Porziņģis, and Horford were to retire, they would need to find a new center who can give them valuable minutes.
With Tatum set to miss most of next season, Boston needs to find someone who can pull in rebounds, as they struggled with that against the Knicks. Though Porziņģis is 7-foot-2, he is not the greatest rebounder. His highest rebounds per game in a season was 9.5 in his first year in Dallas.
The Celtics’ best bet, if they trade the big man away, is to re-sign Luke Kornet as a backup. Kornet provided Boston with some really big minutes in the Knicks series, and bringing him back won’t be too expensive. According to Spotrac.com, Kornet’s previous AAV was $2.8 million, meaning he would be a cheap “band-aid” fix for the Celtics’ lack of a starting center.
Other cheap bigs who could help fix the Celtics’ rebounding woes include Charles Bassey, Steven Adams and Mason Plumlee. All of these players have proven to be impactful on the court when called upon, especially Adams, who was a contributing piece to the Rockets taking seven games against the Warriors in the playoffs.
Conclusion
Though the Celtics may have to cut his time in Boston short, thanks to the team’s expensive roster, there is no doubting Porziņģis helped change the culture in the city. He was a valuable piece to a contender, and was one of the team’s most consistent offensive pieces when he was on the floor.
Porziņģis seems to have shed the “empty stats” accusations. Although short-lived, Boston fans will not let his contributions go unnoticed. His replacement on the roster will not be easy, but the Celtics can definitely sign players to help replace his production.
