76ers Rival Celtics Complete Buzzer Beater Trade for Porzingis

For the third time in his NBA career, Kristaps Porzingis is on the move. Once a common rival of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, as Porzingis started his career playing for the New York Knicks, the big man moved on to two different stints with the Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Wizards.

Next season, Porzingis will be back in the Atlantic Division, becoming a rival of Philadelphia’s once again.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Celtics were rumored to be participating in a potential three-team trade, with their main acquisition being the talented center. While all signs pointed toward the three-team deal between the Los Angeles Clippers, Wizards, and Celtics being complete, it fell apart with just a couple of hours left until Porzingis’ option deadline kicked in.

Without an opt-in-and-trade, Porzingis would’ve remained a member of the Wizards until he became an unrestricted free agent next month. In order to avoid losing Porzingis to the open market, the Celtics and the Wizards worked together to keep the deal alive without involving the Clippers.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics and the Wizards involved the Memphis Grizzlies in their late-night swap on Wednesday. As expected, Porzingis will join the Celtics in the deal. The Celtics are also reportedly expected to receive multiple draft picks.

Meanwhile, the Wizards will land a pick in Thursday night’s draft along with Boston veterans Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala. Washington will snag Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones as well. As for Memphis, they reportedly gain a former Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart.

Throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Celtics’ frontcourt looked like their weakest link at times. While they have talent in Al Horford and Robert Williams, Porzingis brings a little bit of everything coming off of his career-best season in Washington.

In 65 games with the Wizards, Porzingis averaged 23 points per game last year. He drained 50 percent of his shots from the field and knocked down 39 percent of his shots from deep. Along with his scoring, Porzingis averaged nearly nine rebounds per game while picking up three assists per game.

Throughout the 2022-2023 run, the Sixers had their fair share of struggles against a Porzingis-less Boston team. During the regular season, Philadelphia lost three out of four games against Boston. In the second round of the playoffs, the two teams met for a series that went seven games, resulting in a Celtics victory.

Wednesday’s move to land Porzingis could be the first of a collection of deals this offseason for the Celtics. However, it’s far from a small move, as the Celtics are clearly improved on paper.