Celtics' $60 Million All-Star Was Surprised to Be Traded to East Squad

Oct 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) reacts to game action with guard Jaylen Brown (7) and center Al Horford (42) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics have made a whirlwind of changes this summer. There is no doubt that this upcoming season will be challenging for the Celtics. 

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After consistently making deep postseason runs over the past few years, the expectation heading into this season is that they may come up shorter than what they've grown used to. Boston has undergone a ton of changes this offseason, and one of which includes moving on from their star center and champion, Kristaps Porzingis. 

Porzingis was a vital piece for the Celtics these past two seasons. However, Boston knew they needed to make toughmoves this offseason, and trading Porzingis was a decision they deemed necessary.

Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks a few days after the season concluded. The 29-year-old will now be a focal point for the Hawks, but for a second there, he thought he was traded back to Texas. 

In an interview with BasketNews, Porzingis shared how he thought he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. 

“After the season, I spoke to my agent and kind of expected that one or more of us would be traded,” Kristaps Porziņģis said, via BasketNews. “For a while, I thought I might end up with the Spurs, but then Atlanta came in—and that was a nice surprise. It was out of my hands.”

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You could only imagine the excitement that Porzingis felt when he thought for a second he would be paired alongside superstar Victor Wembanyama. Instead, he will head to the Hawks, a place that could be viewed as the missing piece to get Atlanta to the next level.

Porzingis is now paired alongside Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu, to name a few. The former Celtics champion realizes that the expectations are a lot different from how they were for himself and his team in the past two seasons. 

“Here, the pressure isn’t the same—it’s easier to exceed expectations,” Porziņģis said. “That’s a better position to be in. It’s in our hands now, and I think we can surprise some people in the East.”

Last season, the Hawks finished with a 40-42 record, which was good for a ninth seed in the East. 

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.