On June 22, it was revealed that the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards were working on a deal to send center Kristaps Porziņģis to Boston. It was the second major trade of the offseason, and also the second featuring the Wizards. On June 18, they sent Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and a package of picks. Porziņģis has been a key contributor for the Wizards. Joining the team via a trade in 2022, Porziņģis had a career-high 23.2 points per game. Furthermore, he had a career-high shooting percentage of 49.8%. Acquiring Porziņģis would earn the Celtics a definite upgrade at center. Porziņģis is a decade younger than current standing center Al Horford and had a much stronger 2022-23 season.
The Porziņģis trade was meant to be a three-team deal also featuring the LA Clippers. The Wizards would receive Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey, the 30th pick in the 2023 Draft from the Clippers, and Danilo Gallinari from Boston. Meanwhile, Boston would receive Kristaps Porziņģis. Finally, the Clippers would get Malcolm Brogdon from the Celtics. However, around 90 minutes after the news was broken, the deal had reportedly fallen apart. With the Clippers pulling out, the Wizards and Celtics were left scrambling to complete the deal before the deadline on Porziņģis' player option passed.
Grizzlies Join Porziņģis Deal
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Porziņģis deal was saved by the intervention of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, who have been linked with trades elsewhere, took the place of the Clippers in the deal. The Celtics receive Porziņģis, Memphis' 2023 first-round draft pick, and Golden State's 2024 top-four protected first-round draft pick. Meanwhile, Washington receives Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies, and Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and a 2023 second-round pick from Boston. Finally, Memphis receives Marcus Smart from the Celtics.
It's a complicated trade with a lot of moving parts. However, Boston gets a new franchise center and two first-round picks to play with. The Grizzlies get a workhorse veteran who could also help with their locker room atmosphere. Furthermore, the Wizards get a collection of veteran talent as they look to retool their roster and start their rebuild. Who do you think won this trade? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest NBA news here at HotNewHipHop.
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