Kristaps Porzingis Traded to Celtics; How it Impacts All Teams
The Boston Celtics are acquiring a long-time trade target in Porzingis. Their interest in him dates back to 2017 when Phil Jackson led the New York Knicks’ basketball operations. Jackson was prepared to trade anyone on the roster. The Celtics were one of the teams interested and had one of the stronger packages with a surplus of first-round picks at the time for the promising young star. It’s possible the Knicks would’ve required Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, but now the Celtics have all three.
The Celtics have been in the market for another big man since last year’s trade deadline when they were in the bidding for Jakob Poeltl. Porzingis doesn’t come risk-free with his $36 million salary and his long history of lower body injuries. However, the team is well-equipped for any potential absence with their deep big-man rotation featuring Al Horford and Robert Williams III. They also still have Luke Kornet and Mike Muscala if they pick up his $3.5 million team option.
Porzingis had arguably his best and healthiest season since returning from his ACL injury. He only missed 11 games before being shut down at the end of the season. He played at an All-Star level, and the Celtics will now always have a great rim protector on the floor at all times. He will be extension-eligible following the trade starting on July 6 for up to an additional two years. He could also wait for his trade restriction to expire in six months to extend for up to four years.
The Celtics are trading Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to match the salary of Porzingis. They could also be sending draft equity, such as a first-round pick. This deal will likely be executed during the current salary cap year prior to the end of June. This allows the Celtics to utilize the current trade rules, which are more flexible for big spenders like them. Executing this trade during the 2023-24 season under the new trade rules would subject them to the $172.3 million first tax apron.
Their next piece of business is making a decision on Grant Williams. This deal makes it less likely that they keep him since it would push them past the second tax apron, which would limit their flexibility throughout the season. They could still sign and trade him for draft picks and to generate a trade exception. They currently project to be $8 million below the second tax apron with 12 players, which is enough flexibility to utilize the $5 million taxpayer mid-level exception.
Source: Hoops Hype
