According to two sources with knowledge of the transaction, the Washington Wizards have agreed to send centre Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team trade that also sends Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Due to the fact that the agreements hadn’t been made public, the people talked to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Porzingis has agreed to the move and exercised his player option for the upcoming campaign.
In addition, the Grizzlies will acquire Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, from Boston in exchange for 2023 and 2024 first-round lottery picks. According to ESPN, the Wizards will also receive a second-round pick this year from Boston, as well as the guard Tyus Jones from Memphis, as well as the forwards Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari.
After losing to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, the Celtics acquire the 7-foot-3 Porzingis. In Washington, Porzingis had a strong season in which he scored a career-high 23.2 points per game in addition to 8.4 rebounds. Most significantly, he maintained enough health to participate in 66 games, which was the most since 2016–17 when playing with the New York Knicks.
After the Wizards agreed to trade Bradley Beal to Phoenix and Kyle Kuzma declined his option, Porzingis’ departure completes a quick fracture of Washington’s core. Under the leadership of new team president Michael Winger, Washington has missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons and is now obviously in a rebuilding phase.
All nine of his NBA seasons have been spent playing for Boston, and Smart is one of the team’s most dependable players and leaders in the locker room. Additionally, he is fourth on the franchise’s career rankings for both assists (2,700) and 3-pointers (911). The Celtics’ top two replacement options for Smart are current Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White.
After it was announced that Ja Morant would serve a 25-game suspension for the upcoming season, Smart provides the youthful Memphis club with much-needed experience at the point guard position. The Grizzlies, who have finished second in the West each of the past two seasons but haven’t been able to win a single playoff series, can also benefit from Smart’s playoffs expertise.
Despite having a promising duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics were unable to repeat as NBA champions in 2022.
Porzingis joins his fourth NBA franchise in Boston. He was selected by New York with the fourth overall choice in the 2015 draught, and after three seasons with the Knicks, he was dealt to Dallas just before the trade deadline of that year, while still recovering from knee surgery. He was acquired by the Wizards from Dallas sixteen months ago.
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