Silly Season, Part 2, The Porzingis Edition
Where could Kristaps Porzingis end up?
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✍️Silly Season, Part 2, The Porzingis Edition
Last week, we looked at some potential landing spots for Jrue Holiday, should he be made available for trade. While I totally get the notion of moving on from an aging guard on a pricy contract, I still think there are other players who need to be ahead of Holiday in line for the exit door.
For me, Kristaps Porzingis has to be the first name on that list.
When he’s healthy, Porzingis is a legitimate ceiling raiser. He ties everything together for Joe Mazzulla’s team. The issue is, he’s rarely available, at least not for the duration of a season.
Outside of his nuclear game one performance during the 2024 NBA Finals, Porzingis has been an invisible postseason presence for Boston. And considering his importance to the rotation, that’s not a sustainable foundation on which to build a contending roster.
In any other year, finding a willing trade partner for Porzingis would likely prove difficult. There’s enough data in the bank for front offices around the league to approach a potential trade with enough caution that the return in any deal would be nonsensical for the Celtics. However, Porzingis is entering the final year of his contract.
Expiring deals continue to be among the most valuable trade commodities in the NBA.
So, Brad Stevens finds himself in a favorable position, where Porzingis’ injury issues could impact his trade market less than they usually would.
“Most rival teams continue to regard Kristaps Porziņģis as the most movable Boston vet thanks to the Latvian big man's $30.7 million expiring contract,” Marc Stein reported on May 18. “Porziņģis, though, managed to exceed 20 minutes in only one of the Celtics' games in the New York series because of a perplexing energy-sapping illness that has plagued him since March.”
The most logical suitors for a potential Porzingis trade will likely be a team in need of additional rim protection and overall size. When healthy, there aren’t many better shot deterrents in the NBA, especially ones mobile enough to play in drop, up-to-touch, below the level, or even as a switch big in certain (and limited) situations.
Here’s how Porzingis grades out for interior defense, per Basketball Index.
The other type of team that could be interested in Porzingis, will likely be looking for additional floor spacing. Think rosters that have a ball-dominant guard that need more five-out options. Or teams built on slashing wings, that need space to roam.
🗣️ So, as we did with Holiday, let’s take a look at some teams that I think could make sense for Porzingis. As always, these are just thoughts on where Porzingis could fit. I have no idea if a trade is feasible, that is for someone way smarter with the salary cap than me.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have lacked a genuine rim protector for years. During Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s prime years, you could get away with playing smaller. Green is a generational defensive talent; he can read the game better than anyone, and that allowed him to quarterback a defense built on pressure, angle control, and pace. Now, with aging legs across the board, the Warriors need a genuine rim protector. If you ask me, that's their biggest flaw, and the primary thing stopping them from emerging as contenders.
Porzingis could help solve that issue. He fits everything the Warriors want from a big man — which goes back to Mike Dunleavy Jr. discussing a “big with size and skill” ahead of the 2023-24 season, shortly after the franchise chose against giving Dwight Howard his NBA return.
“I think we’re going to add somebody with some size, but we have to be careful with the way we play, the way the league works,” Dunleavy said. “Just bringing in somebody that’s tall — you have to be skilled, you have to know how to play. I think we’ve learned that over the past few years. So we’ll always prioritize that but the taller and longer a player is, the better.”
The type of big Golden State that has been searching for seldom becomes available, especially on the trade market. So, while Porzingis certainly comes with some serious question marks, the value he would provide to the Warriors could entice them to make a deal. After all, if things don’t work out, he comes off the books next season, anyway.
Detroit Pistons
Last summer, the Detroit Pistons made the decision to build around Cade Cunningham. To do that, they added multiple perimeter-based scorers, thus creating more space for Cunningham to work his magic. For reference, this is who the Pistons added last summer.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tobias Harris
Malik Beasley
Paul Reed
Ron Holland (Draft Pick)
Wendell Moore Jr.
Outside of adding multiple perimeter threats, J.B. Bickerstaff implemented a genuine identity into his team. The Pistons spent this past season blurring the lines between physical competitiveness and a basketball version of the UFC.
Still, Porzingis can help unlock a new level for Detroit. Sure, he doesn’t bring the hard-nosed, taste blood in your mouth approach that we’ve become accustomed to, but he does add even more spacing. Furthermore, he can anchor the paint, protect the rim, and provide some mid-range scoring and creation.
Every physical team needs a touch of finesse. A two-man game between Porzingis and Cunningham could be fun to watch.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns are expected to pursue an upgrade at the center position this summer.
"One roster rumble that has emerged from the desert: Sources say that Phoenix, whether or not Durant is ultimately dealt before training camp, will be prioritizing the addition of a starting-level center this offseason," Jake Fischer recently reported. “The Suns want a further upgrade on the move they made during the season to deal away Jusuf Nurkić and replace him with Nick Richards via Charlotte."
Porzingis could be a strong answer for Phoenix. Whether they would be willing to anchor their championship hopes onto an oft-injured big man, with a minimal body of work in the postseason is another question. However, a championship ring can sometimes blind a front office, especially one as success hungry as the Suns.
Brooklyn Nets
This one is the wild card for me. The Nets enter the offseason as the team with the most cap space. They will undoubtedly want to make inroads on improving the current roster. However, as has been widely covered, 2025 is not a great free agency class.
As such, if the Nets want to kick the can down the road for a year, adding Porzingis would be a good way to do so. He would add some scoring and defense, and could potentially create a versatile double-big lineup with Nic Claxton, or he could come off the bench and look to rebuild his health.
Either way, Porzingis would be a rental for the Nets and a way to preserve cap space heading into 2026, when the franchise could once again enter the summer as a big player in the free agent market.
I doubt we see the Nets explore this option. However, if they strike out on all their primary targets, maybe a one-year rental of Porzingis (and other talents around the league) would become desirable.
🗣️ I’m curious to know where you think some good landing spots could be for Porzingis, and whether you would want to see him moved on, or allowed to play out some or all of the season with Boston. Hit me up in the comments!
Good analysis. I think the problem is that we don't know what direction Boston is leaning, much less which trade partners might make sense. Feels like everyone looking to dump salary will be circling the Nets. Though Porzingis' expiring contract makes a lot more sense than multiple years owed to someone like Wiggins or Beal. If Porzingis bounces back, the Nets could flip him to a contender at the trade deadline for additional assets. A lot may depend on what his medical records show. I mean, of all the things we thought could happen to limit KP during the post season, "viral infection" wasn’t on anyone's bingo card.
Why not Houston? Adams isn't a scorer. Porzingis and Sengun do some of the same things, but not quite, and double scoring bigs with KP's rim protection could be great. Also they can flip a pick and it will feel like they added him for free.