Long before the entire basketball world waited to see if Kristaps Porzingis would be healthy enough to play in the Finals, Brad Stevens was just eager to see the 20-year-old play in the NBA for the first time.
Porzingis was just two months into his NBA career when Stevens gushed over the big man’s potential before coaching against him for the first time in December 2015.
”He has a chance to be a special player,” Stevens said. “Not many people have a chance to be special. He does.’’
Acquiring Porzingis nine years later may end up the crowning achievement of Stevens’ tenure in the Celtics’ front office if his return in the NBA Finals leads to a title. Yet, Boston’s fascination with the 7-foot-3 began over a decade ago when the rookie head coach patrolled the sidelines.
One season after trading franchise cornerstones Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in the summer of 2013, the Celtics were in asset accumulation mode. Danny Ainge had begun piling up future draft picks amid Stevens’ debut campaign as coach, using the team’s willingness to take on bad contracts and sell off useful veterans to land more swings at the draft.
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An 18-year-old Porzingis had emerged as a raw but intriguing prospect out of Latvia while playing in Spain as the Celtics began scouring the globe to jumpstart their rebuild. Porzingis ended up going No. 4 in the 2015 NBA Draft but some NBA teams had shown interest in him two years before as he began a unique playing situation in Sevilla in Spain’s ACB.
Porzingis landed on a team with new ownership focused on developing young prospects to ultimately profit when they needed to buy out their contracts for a chance to play in the NBA.
“It’s worked sometimes,” Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge told MassLive, “So it’s not like it was a terrible idea, but that just means it was a lot of young players on the team. It was a lot of rookies. They’re playing in the top division of Spain, which was and is probably the best domestic league. Kristaps got minutes, which was good, but it wasn’t a bunch of vets around him that made it really easy for him.”
Initially, Porzingis declared his eligibility for the 2014 NBA Draft as Boston held the No. 6 and No. 17 picks. Yet, as Boston considered a promise to draft the big man with the latter of their first-round selections, Porzingis had his sights set higher.
The Celtics and other suitors in 2014 were forced to look elsewhere after Porzingis withdrew in hopes of improving his stock in 2015. Marcus Smart and James Young ended up as the picks for Boston at No. 6 and 17.
“Even if I got drafted (in 2014), I would have stayed one more year (in Europe),” Porzingis said. I just had the confidence that I would get drafted much higher the year after that and that’s exactly what happened. I knew I was gonna make another big jump that year.”
“Most people would have evaluated him the same — that he has a lot of potential but he was a ways away,” Ainge said of Porzingis’ outlook in 2014. “It was easy to see what he would become if everything hit right but it was less certain that year. He looked very frail and beat up and didn’t make a ton of shots.”
Porzingis stock rises beyond Celtics’ reach
That bet on himself looked savvy a year later. Another strong season in Spain catapulted Porzingis into a high lottery selection.
“We knew he made great strides.” Danny Ainge told MassLive. “He had improved a lot that year. A little bit like Wembanyama. Obviously, (Wemby) was a no-brainer pick but (Porzingis) made a lot of progress in his final year in Europe.”
Porzingis’ successful gamble left the Celtics on the outside looking in when it came to having a shot at landing the prospect in 2015. Boston’s growing treasure chest of picks had yet to bear many meaningful assets after the team made a surprise run to the playoffs in 2015 following the acquisition of Isaiah Thomas in February. That left Boston with a top selection of No. 16 in the 2015 NBA Draft and their other future first-round picks (via Brooklyn and others) did not hold much appeal to potential trade partners since there were no picks destined to land in the lottery.
The Celtics several attempts to move into the 2015 lottery with multiple future first round picks failed and Porzingis went No. 4 to the Knicks.
Stevens foreshadowed keen instincts as a talent evaluator during that same draft as the Celtics were left watching the lottery unfold.
As Boston continued to develop into a respectable playoff team faster than expected, Porzingis immediately looked like one of the top selections in the draft for New York. He made the All-Rookie team in 2016 and was selected to the All-Star game in 2018 before being sidelined by a torn ACL in February just before the game.
Missed connection
Porzingis never played another game for the Knicks after his ACL tear. After the Knicks chose not to offer him a max rookie extension, tension built between him and the front office about Porzingis’ injury rehab and other issues. Ultimately, Porzingis requested a trade in January.
By the time he became available ahead of the 2019 trade deadline, the Celtics were already on the verge of contending. Boston had landed a pair of blockbuster additions in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the summer of 2017 and while Porzingis’ career progression may have aligned well with young talents like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, his health (and looming big contract on a rookie extension) did not appeal to a Boston team that was in win-now mode ahead of schedule.
A Yahoo Sports report suggested there were exploratory talks about a Porzingis swap with the Celtics after Irving started to sour on Boston during the 2018-19 season. Those talks went nowhere though given Boston’s desire to win in the present in 2019, per league sources. Quite simply, trading an All-Star for a player with a torn ACL amid a title push would have been tough to justify.
Instead, Porzingis was dealt to the Mavericks for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round picks. His tenure in Dallas was plagued by injuries along with questions of on-court fit and efficiency next to Luka Doncic during two-and-a-half underwhelming seasons. Porzingis played no more than 57 games a season for the Mavericks who failed to advance past the first round as injuries hit at the worst possible times. Porzingis also admitted to past tension with Doncic this year about their roles.
“I think we both tried to make it work,” Porzingis said on the “JJ Redick Podcast” last year. “It’s just, I think, communication and maturity on both our parts should have been better.”
The Mavericks cashed out on Porzingis in February 2022 just as the Celtics were turning their season around under new coach Ime Udoka. Dallas sold very low on the big man in what was effectively a salary dump trade to the Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertrans. Any trade interest the Celtics had was negated by Porzingis’ hefty $31 million salary. Boston simply didn’t have the trade pieces to match that without disrupting their core.
Celtics re-emerge as suitor
Change was a necessity for co-owner Wyc Grousbeck entering the 2023 offseason after an embarrassing showing in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Finding an offensive threat with size was a priority after the team’s postseason scoring struggles. Ten years after Porzingis initially surfaced on the Celtics’ radar, the team turned a closer eye on him again.
“Last year, he had a really good year but didn’t get much attention for it,” Austin Ainge said. “When we traded for him, I felt like some people were remembering him from earlier in his career than what he’s become, which is a very good two-way player and a winning player.”
Unlike the past two times Porzingis hit the trade market, the stars were aligned. Porzingis turned down a bigger payday to facilitate a trade to the Celtics.
“I wanted to join a strong team where I can help make something great happen and this opportunity came about and again I didn’t have to think for too long,” Porzingis said.
The dynamics of the deal weren’t simple despite the big man’s interest. Porzingis had a $36 million player option deadline for June 21 and his camp was holding all the cards over the Wizards and potential suitors like the Celtics. Multiple other teams including the Jazz showed interest in Porzingis per league sources if he elected to hit free agency in a weak market. Yet, throughout the process, Porzingis turned down a guaranteed bigger contract in July for the chance at Boston.
“It didn’t inspire me, it didn’t excite me the same way that Boston did,” Porzingis said. “That was the main thing for me. I wasn’t looking for the biggest payday I could get. I just wanted to be the right fit and see if I can achieve something great in my basketball career besides making money and all that, and if it pays off, who knows?”
The Celtics initially finalized a deal to land Porzingis on the day of his deadline but that three-way swap fell apart amid the Clippers’ injury concerns with Malcolm Brogdon. From there, the Celtics were forced to pivot if they wanted to secure Porzingis. The team’s salary cap situation made a sign-and-trade transaction untenable if he opted out so an opt-in and trade would need to be the path. That led to a sleepless night for Porzingis as he watched the developments unfold from Latvia.
“That was a weird day and a night for me because it was like such an emotional roller coaster,” Porzingis said. “You don’t know what the hell is gonna happen.”
Ultimately, the Celtics were well-prepared for the fallout. A subsequent deal to send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies had been discussed for weeks according to league sources and the Celtics worked that framework into the Porzingis talks. The end result netted them the seven-footer along with two future first-round picks for Smart and other minor pieces. The deal broke just before midnight ET which meant the news hit Porzingis as morning arrived in Latvia.
“I could not have woken up like more happy that day,” Porzingis said.
No trade would have been done unless Porzingis’ camp was confident that Boston was willing to extend him according to an industry source. Ultimately, Porzingis settled for much less than free agency suitors could have offered in July, inking a two-year extension at nearly a 20 percent paycut.
The early sacrifice was indicative of the attitude Porzingis has shown on the floor in Boston. It’s been a good fit as Porzingis has put together the most efficient offensive season of his career in Boston despite having his lowest usage since his second season. He’s willingly served as an overqualified supporting cast member leading to the highest regular season win total for the Celtics since 2007-08. The bigger test awaits in the NBA Finals, new ground for Porzingis who has appeared in just 13 playoff games including only three with Boston after suffering a strained calf on April 29.
The Celtics have crusied through the undermanned Eastern Conference without Porzingis in the last two rounds, building upon their strong record without him during the season. Boston went 21-4 without him in the regular season and are 10-1 during this playoffs run. Yet, Porzingis’ teammates remain eager for his return with a far tougher test awaiting them in the NBA Finals against Dallas.
“We’re all mature enough to get back in the groove or have him fit right back in whenever he comes back,” Jrue Holiday said. “We do want KP back. We can’t wait for him to be back and be a part of this on the court.”
The Celtics have positioned themselves well to keep their options open for retaining key parts of their core long-term if the group can deliver championships. Porzingis is signed through the 2025-26 season and could see a long-term future in Boston.
“So far it’s been great here and who knows what I have ahead of me, how many years in the league,” Porzingis said. “I look forward to playing at a high level for a few more years.”
In the interim, the fit couldn’t be better for both sides beyond the untimely calf injury. Porzingis has put up career numbers and appreciates suiting up for a contender with a passionate fanbase. The Celtics have another bargain contract that fits in seamlessly with the team’s current stars. It took 11 years for the two sides to come together but the connection may be at the perfect time if it delivers a title.
“It’s a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations for us, but we want it,” Porzingis said. “I know JB and JT, they have been very close a few years (to a title). It’s that last step that we’re looking forward to do.”
