Deal or No Deal: Kristaps Porzingis

Welcome again to the Deal or No Deal sequence the place we break down if the Celtics ought to carry again a sure participant for the 2025-26 NBA season. If a participant is underneath “Deal” then the participant shouldn’t be introduced again. If “No Deal” then the participant needs to be introduced again.

The following participant is Kristaps Porzingis. In 42 video games this season, Porzingis put up 19.5 PPG, 6.8 REB, and a couple of.1 AST on 48% taking pictures from the sphere, 41% from three, and 81% from the free throw line.

Coming off the Celtics championship run the place he solely performed in seven playoff video games on account of accidents, Porzingis was set to overlook the beginning of the 2025 season recovering from the harm he sustained within the NBA Finals. When he did come again on November twenty fifth towards the Clippers, everybody was excited to see how Boston would look once more as a totally functioning unit.

This unit didn’t final lengthy. Porzingis can be dominated out with an sickness on February twenty eighth that might lead to him lacking the subsequent seven video games in March. We later discovered that this viral sickness and the publish viral syndrome that adopted would have an effect on his play to some extent that he couldn’t be on the courtroom for greater than two minutes with out struggling to breathe within the Celtics second spherical playoff sequence towards the New York Knicks.

Kristaps Porzingis is a really contentious subject in the case of Celtics followers relying on who you ask however most individuals will inform you this season was disappointing to say the least. The shortage of impression on the courtroom within the playoffs began to show individuals bitter, however nobody was extra annoyed together with his play than Kristaps himself.

In his exit interview following the Celtics loss in Sport 6, Porzingis was requested how tough the previous couple of months have been for him. He stated, “As irritating as you’ll be able to think about. Simply to not be capable of assist this staff extra. Particularly with JT going out, simply not being an excessive amount of of a assist simply hurts deep inside.”

In Brad Stevens’ finish of season interview he echoed an analogous assertion when requested about Porzingis’ sickness, saying, “I don’t assume anyone was extra annoyed than him… I believed he had actually turned a nook there in the direction of the top of the common season once we went to Madison Sq. Backyard and even within the first spherical after which for no matter cause, he simply didn’t really feel nearly as good there within the Knicks sequence and by no means felt nice.”

With regards to considering of trades for Kristaps Porzingis this summer season, there are a few totally different variables the Celtics are going to must account for. The primary is well being. Porzingis has a status of being harm susceptible all through his whole profession and I’m certain opposing groups will surprise what number of video games they’re really going to get out of him.

The second factor is his contract. Porzingis is projected to make slightly over $30 million subsequent 12 months and with the Celtics being within the second apron, they must discover a staff that has sufficient items to match the wage. In keeping with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are excited about a attainable Porzingis commerce as they’ve preferred the concept of him since 2023.

The Warriors lack of belongings means the spine of a Porzingis to Golden State commerce would almost definitely have to incorporate Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, and one in every of Trayce Jackson-Davis or Gui Santos to make the cash work plus perhaps a draft choose. Are the Warriors prepared to explode lots of their depth for a man in Porzingis that isn’t probably the most dependable?

After laying out the commerce parameters, is there a world the place Porzingis can stay on the Celtics subsequent season? Sure. Porzingis goes into the ultimate 12 months of his two-year, $60 million extension that Boston gave him once they first traded for him and will likely be an unrestricted free agent within the 2026 offseason. May Brad Stevens and Celtics administration simply let Porzingis play out his remaining season in Boston and let him go away for nothing if the commerce packages usually are not fascinating sufficient?

Verdict: Deal

As a lot as I’m a fan of Kristaps Porzingis and can all the time cherish his Sport 1 efficiency within the 2024 Finals, I don’t see a world the place he’s on the Celtics to start out subsequent season. Though his worth is at an all-time low, lots of groups within the NBA are searching for middle depth, particularly within the Western Convention. The aforementioned Warriors, Lakers, Suns, and plenty of extra are searching for an enormous man out west, so I really feel assured that Brad Stevens will be capable of discover a transfer that may assist the Celtics shifting ahead.

Boston can also be specializing in shedding wage and out of their top-five paid gamers on the staff, Porzingis is the one which has produced the least within the final two seasons and it makes probably the most sense to maneuver off of him. This additionally opens the door for the Celtics to probably carry again Al Horford and Luke Kornet who’re each free brokers this offseason.