Kristaps Porzingis trade: Celtics close to landing big man in deal with Clippers and Wizards, per report

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The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards are closing in on a blockbuster trade that would send Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, according to The Athletic. The deal would move Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers and L.A. wing Marcus Morris to the Wizards along with draft compensation. Danilo Gallinari could head from Boston to Washington as part of the deal, for the sake of salary-matching adds Yahoo Sports. Porzingis holds a $36 million player option for next season that he would need to opt into for this deal to be finalized.

Assuming the trade is completed, it would accomplish several things for a Celtics team coming off of a very disappointing Eastern Conference finals loss to the Miami Heat. The Celtics had reportedly been looking for a way to break up their logjam in the backcourt, and this move clears the way for a rotation of Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in the guard spots. It would also shore up their front line, which is critical as Grant Williams is a restricted free agent, Robert Williams III has durability concerns and Al Horford just turned 37.

Porzingis is coming off of a very strong year in Washington. He played 65 games for the Wizards, His most since the 2016-17 season, and averaged 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while playing strong interior defense. The Celtics typically prioritize big men that can shoot, and Porzingis would likely be the best shooting big man in franchise history. Last season, he took 5.5 3-pointers per game and made 38.5% of them.

The appeal for the Clippers is obvious, though the deal comes with plenty of risks. Brogdon is the pure point guard and playmaker they’ve spent years looking for. He just won Sixth Man of the Year in Boston, and even if the Clippers keep Russell Westbrook, the two have contrasting skill sets that could create a diverse overall point guard rotation. Of course, the danger for the Clippers is that Brogdon comes with his own set of durability concerns. He missed 15 games last season, and in the three previous…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kristaps-porzingis-trade-celtics-close-to-landing-big-man-in-deal-with-clippers-and-wizards-per-report/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2023-06-21 20:44:08

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