For many teams, the biggest offseason move has yet to be made. Free agency is approaching and some big-name players could still be dealt.
In the Celtics’ case, the major acquisition this offseason has seemingly already taken place. The three-team deal for Kristaps Porzingis was a bold and risky move by a storied franchise seeking its first championship since 2008.
Porzingis changes the dynamic of the Celtics’ frontcourt. The oft-injured 7’3’’ big man played 65 games for the Wizards – his most since the 2016/17 season – and regained his All-Star form. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks. He also drained 38.5% of his 3-point attempts.
Porzingis could play either power forward or center, depending upon how Joe Mazzulla wants to match up with the opposition. He might play alongside Robert Williams or Al Horford, assuming another trade isn’t made, with Jayson Tatum at small forward and Jaylen Brown at shooting guard in bigger lineups.
Alternatively, he could man the middle with Tatum and Brown playing the forward spots.
Of course, there was a price to pay for Porzingis. He opted into his $36MM contract and the Celtics are reportedly looking to sign him to extension.
That would give them three giants salary commitments with Porzingis, Tatum and Brown eating up significant cap space.
It’s unlikely Porzingis will match his offensive numbers from last season with Tatum and Brown in the lineup. However, he’ll give the Celtics a much more potent option compared to the aging Horford and defensive-minded Williams. He’ll also give the Celtics a lot more size defensively to combat Eastern Conference rivals Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giving up Marcus Smart was a calculated risk just one season removed from being the Defensive Player of the Year. Smart’s toughness and leadership will be missed and the perimeter defense could suffer without him.
Derrick White figures to take a bigger role and they’ll have to hope Malcolm Brogdon’s elbow injury won’t require surgery. Payton Pritchard should also get the playing time he craves.
That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of the Celtics’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis? Will it make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference or will they regret trading Marcus Smart for the oft-injured big man?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
The move is a risk they probably had to take. Losing Smart was a tremendous loss but you gain the scoring big man who can block some shots. Probably a risk worth taking especially since you have Pritchard chomping at the bit for playing time. You didn’t create a hole and you plugged a need in the meantime. Not a Celtics fan but I approve of the move.
Also forgot to mention.., didn’t the Celtics get two first round picks out of this whole thing? Not too shabby.
My grade to Celtics is INCOMPLETE
I would talk after Celtics trade away 25th pick and 2024 Warriors pick
Example
White and those 2 Firsts to Hawks for Dejounte Murray
Then Hawks can trade John Collins and those 2 Firsts to Warriors for Draymond.
I think they needed a player with some post moves (They had nothing prior) – KP ranked 90th percentile in the post last year while also doing the things RW does (block) and Horford (3) all in one
Agreed a move had to be made, seems this one kinda fell in there laps as they got to parcel a guard (not a hidden story to Bostonians is that White was better than Smart last year) , they helped the future ledger(Brown NeXT year) , picked up some major capital moving forward, and got a free- roll with KP next year
Stevens is top shelf…… Oddly I was fine with Wingers Beal trade but haven’t understood the KP and Poole deals whatsoever or the need to act so promptly. Think he’s been shafted in those 2 deals more than the Beal one
Beal trade was done before season was over. Bartelstein is his agent. Bartelstein 30-year old son Josh was hired as Phoenix Suns CEO.
Not a fan of Porzingis deal, but his player option effectively gave him a no-trade clause for a rebuilding Washington team. Porzingis gets extension he wants. Boston addresses a need early, so they don’t get shut out.
Jordan Poole was just to get him out of the locker room. He got to be way outside of Golden State’s culture. Chris Paul is surprising for Golden State. However, if they play a slower style, it could work.
Cs were in desperate need for a third scoring threat. KP fills that need better than any conceivable option they had.
Losing Smart may hurt the community but not the team. His “toughness” was just as likely to help the Cs lose as it was to help them win. His defense was a great asset to the team. His flops, unreliable offense and sometimes poor decision making were not.
Smart will be missed but not as much as KP will be welcomed (as long he stays healthy, obviously).
Beast of the East! Gives the Cs the post up presence not seen since KG (bit of exaggeration). That’s assuming Joe knows how to utilize him. Plus, he’s 7’3”. C’s managed the minutes of Big Al and Brogdon well in the regular season. So not worried about KP. Team is deep so they don’t need KP to be playing 35mpg. As for Smart, thank you for your service, but you have to give up value to get value. So i am all in for this trade. Great job Brad.
Nota that much of an exaggeration. With a lineup of Porzingis and Robert Williams on defense, good luck to opposing teams shooting layups and scoring in the paint. Plus Tatum AND Brown, it Will be really tough to Score in the lane. Jaylen Brown also an.above average defender. White, a great asset in defense at the point.
With Horford backing up, they haveva tremendous lineup.
It was hard to trade Smart, the heart of the team, a true icon for this team. But White can replace him.on court, with really good offensive firepower.
I think the Grizzlies aré the best team to go for Smart, besides staying with the Celtics. He Will be a leader for them, a good influence for Ja Morant, AND an excellent Fit for their grit AND grind new era
I love it for the Celtics. Porzingis had a really good year in 2022 that went a bit under the radar. He played a ton of games, blocked a ton of shots and was very productive. Timelord and KP down low sounds like a pretty sweet combo, however someone like Embiid or even Giannis still probably eats them up.
Either way, I like it for Boston. I think Smart is a bit overrated and didn’t deserve the DPOY nod. I just think a starting PG for a top team in the NBA should be better at scoring. Also… he flops too damn much.
Agree with most of what you said but as for PG on top team comment… sort of agree BUT could also be made up by someone who is elite distributer… which Smart is not. I think a Rondo in his prime type would fit the best offensively. They don’t necessarily need a scoring PG but they could use a facilitator type.
They’ll get similar production from White/Brogdon/Pritchard as they did White/Brogdon/Smart but their perimeter defense will be worse. Their production from the F/C will double, and their interior defense will improve on what was already a good defensive frontcourt. Overall it was a win.
Don’t know how serious it is. But it seems to me. Brogdon should have had the surgery already. This way he is good for most of this yr. Instead of going down during season. Health is an issue for everyone. Bucks lost Giannis last yr. Celtics are good enough to win it all, on paper.
Exactly. How is Brogdon going to play w a bad elbow? Have the surgery soon.
There should be no more excuses for these CELTICS.
Same as Doc Rivers, you cant live off of that 2008 championship, all this time.
The move will haunt them. Smart was the heart of the team, much like Draymond is in Golden State. They needed a big and a wing, and moving a guard was the way to go, but it should’ve been Brogdon or White, preferably Brogdon because of his higher salary. They didn’t need someone as expensive as Prozingis; 2 lesser talents as role players would’ve worked, even a healthy Gallinari could’ve filled that role.
Umm, Draymonds team has won numerous championships, but Boston hasn’t.
Al Horford can’t play forever so we needed a replacement before we were put in a bind. Great opportunity w the Wizards dumping everyone. Had to grab it. Plus we got draft picks which we were without.
Good draft pick too I bet. Jordan Walsh, an aggressive athlete with incredible lateral movement who has long arms and a wingspan which “swallows up” opponents defensively. Replaces Smart.
I like the trade better the 2nd time. Still, I’m not sure how much better Porzingis will be then Smart has been for Boston.
It’ s hard to tell, right now, if it was a good trade or not.
15-20 games into the season we’ll see.
Why wouldn’t Brogdon just get the surgery over and done with? Is he afraid of doctors?
Yes, That must be is. Brogdon is afraid of doctors. Great addition to the conversation
You say this so condescendingly, but a lot of athletes are in fact afraid of surgery. Understandably so, since their body is the only asset they have.
Yes could be in a way. Fact is surgery doesn’t always fix things and can at times complicate injuries. If his elbow ligament is still attached and can firm up over time then no problem. Malcolm has been on the Shelf plenty of times and he knows his body better than anyone.
Celtics got better overall and have made the best trade of the off season so far…
It is time for Tatum to be the Leader without Smart. It is in his back. KP is exactly what we need. He is a zone breaker. White is ready fir prime time. And Pritchard should get big regular season minutes. Hauser and Kornet should also be growing their games. A Patrick Beverly bench guy and bring back Griffen.
I like the trade, and I’m glad neither White nor Brogdon was traded. I wonder if they are done. Maybe sign Bruce Brown which Pritchard would be gone in a trade.
Celtics for trading Smart. You lost a fan. No loyalty from me then. Good luck with you 6’7 SF/SG team. Should of traded Brodgon or White with picks. Who cares the Celtics got picks. Danny A is not here anymore. It’s time to win. Not get picks and trade loyalty and pride. Traded the wrong guy away.
Great trade by Brad, as others mentioned, you have to lose something to gain something. You never would have seen Danny make a move like this.
Still need a facilitator, maybe White/Brogden can be that for them now that they have three elite scorers.
Unmentioned here is Porzingis as a playmaker; he, Beal and Kuzma had some excellent sets with him running the offense from the high post or the top of the key. Brown and Tatum should slot right in to several of those. And while Smart’s perimeter defense should be missed somewhat, Porzingis finally giving them a reliable interior presence is enough to make up the difference, plus White is just as good as Smart tbh.
I think the bigger negative for the C’s is not the on-court angle, but in the locker room. Smart has been a beloved teammate and a fiery go-getter. Porzingis isn’t a very animated person in general, and is known to complain sometimes if his role isn’t to his liking. And Tatum and Brown are already very passive even if Brown pretends otherwise. Horford is still the guy for that, so C’s fans have to hope he can handle the firing up by himself. Because there aren’t really any others on the roster right now.
Smart is my favorite Celtic of all time. The only player I’ve seen win games without scoring a point to go ahead. For example when he got James Harden on the rockets to commit two offensive fouls on two inbounds with under two minutes to go.
This is championship move. And I like Porzingis just with injuries I don’t know if I like him on my team. I would have much rather made a good offer (Brogden/Smart Horford Gallo two 1sts) for Ayton who I believe has second 1/2 of career Al Horford/ Brook Lopez pontential. But Ayton still only 24 will have the luxury of developing a jumper before they evolved there game. He is built like a bull and an athletic freak at 24. He shows enough coordination to develop a jumper and a viable 3 pointer. I hope porzingis is ready for the playoffs which are a season is a season in its own. Having Ayton playing with two stars around his age who can probably relate to unwarranted hate from the suns organization and fans would’ve further his growth. Tatum, Brown, and Ayton would’ve been a fun core to watch battle the NBA for 10 years. KP hopefully we get 2 good years from him and a ring.
Not trying to be a smart Aleck but can anyone name this pure point guard in the NBA that a lot of people say the Celtics need? I do not see any pass first point guards who run a team left? Especially game changers? Lonzo Ball if he ever plays again is the last of the pass first creators. I always thought he would’ve been the perfect Celtic fit. Once Paul retires that player may be extinct. There are zero Stocktons, Jackson, Kidd, Rondo, CP3, Thomas, left. All 5 positions need to score now. The point guard is now judged on athleticism and ability to shoot 3’s. In todays world it’s not about how well you do the job, it’s about how well you look while doing the job.
Pritchard has the opportunity to be a pure point guard. It’s up to him to get the guys open shots and shoot lights out from 3 and drive to the hoop. Be tough on both sides of the ball. But with his whining to twitter I don’t have much faith. He’ll be dealt after the first month for Tacko Fall.
Celtics will have a good regular season, then implode in the playoffs
I think Brad Stevens made another great move. While Smart has been a very valuable player, for many years now, the fact is, we only made one finals appearance, lost royally, and have been eliminated in unacceptable fashion in other ECF’s appearances, including this year to a Miami Heat team, that honestly, shouldn’t have made the playoffs let alone The Finals.Hey, The Heat ain’t Shaq, DWade’s, Lebron’s, Ray Allen’s, James Posey’s and Chris Bosh’s teams anymore, nor close to it.
If the Boston Celtics could muster up enough pride AT HOME to win 8 of 10 home playoff games in the past 3-4 years, they’d have AT LEAST 2 more World Championships to boast of, but instead they play like absolute cowards in the TD Garden, forcing themselves to win virtually every single road game. Which they usually do, but eventually it takes it’s toll.
So hell yes, roll the dice on Porzingis. Sure, he’s no Iron Man, but still far more durable than Robert Willgethurt III, and adds MUCH needed size to our front court. This move was an absolute no brainer. The Celtics had absolutely zero chance at the ever elusive Banner 18 with Williams and Horford as their big men. Now we have a LEGIT big man, along with RW3 and Horford, and seemingly will still have Brown, Tatum, and Brogdon back, along with White. If this team can’t go super deep in the 2024 playoffs, or win it all, then I see no scenario at all, that they can ever be serious world title contenders again. Maybe it all left, with Bias and Lewis dying, but we won with that GREAT 2008 group, and would have again in 2010, without the refs wearing purple and gold shirts in Game 7, so I believe we can win it all again. But the trio of Porzingis, Williams and Horford have to stay somewhat healthy. Something that seems less likely than Bird, McHale, Parish, and Walton, all coming back in prime form, and playing all 82 games in 2024.