The Celtics said farewell to several rotation players this summer as the financial realities of the salary cap caught up with them. That included Kristaps Porzingis, who was traded to the Hawks as part of a three-team trade.
Porzingis spent the past two seasons in Boston, helping the team win the 2024 NBA championship. The big man spoke with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren Williams, revealing some of his emotions coming out of the trade.
“Our season (with the Celtics) didn’t end last year the way we wanted to,” Porzingis told Williams. “But this is how it goes, you know. And obviously, we expected that there were going to be changes in my whole team. And having a little bit longer summer than usual is, it’s awesome always as a player, because it’s just, the NBA season is tough.
“And also (I) jumped in the middle of the season, and it’s obviously tough, and just having this time off and being able to recharge a bit and get ready for a big summer, and then going into next year, it’s, honestly, it’s the perfect scenario, the perfect scenario. And I’m super, super excited about what’s coming.”
Porzingis joins an interesting Atlanta team that’s looking to take steps toward competitiveness. He’ll have one of the best playmakers in the NBA in Trae Young as the Hawks swung the deal to land the talented Porzingis. The big man should fit right in offensively as he showcased his skills while he was on the Celtics.
The Celtics acquired Georges Niang and a second-round pick in the trade that also included the Nets. The deal was mainly financially motivated: Porzingis is on an expiring $30.7 million contract while Niang will make $8.2 million this next season. So the C’s were able to slim their payroll significantly, even though they were still disappointed to see one of their starters move on with the trade.
Porzingis’ main issue in Boston — and throughout his career — has been his availability issues. He dealt with his illness during the second-round series against the Knicks that severely limited him, plus he also had other injuries in his two years in Boston. But Porzingis will hope those problems are all behind him as he still plans to play for his native Latvia as part of the Eurobasket tournament which starts next month. Besides that, all he can do is look toward the future with the Hawks.
“I think I’ll fit right in here and add more like diversity, maybe even more offense,” Porzingis said. “And, yeah, I think there’s going to be more like layers to this offense that’s already pretty powerful. But yeah, I think we can really be a force offensively.”
