NBA Trade Rumors: Kristaps Porzingis To The Boston Celtics This Offseason?

Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks are still not seeing eye-to-eye after a tumultuous season that was filled with a lot of issues between players and the front office. The Knicks front office has alienated Porzingis and it seems like the Boston Celtics have a chance of acquiring the Latvian star this offseason.

Porzingis had a great second season despite issues within the team and injuries. In 66 games this season, he averaged 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks. Kristaps has shown that he is a future superstar in the NBA and the Knicks are smart to build around him. However, the issues between Porzingis and Knicks president Phil Jackson are very concerning and it could lead to a potential trade this summer if the two sides keep throwing shots at each other.

Thomas Duffy of FanRag Sports chronicled the bad blood between Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks since the regular season ended. Porzingis decided to skip a meeting with Jackson because he was reportedly unhappy with how the Knicks president treated Carmelo Anthony. Kristaps then went home to Latvia, where he will spend his summer, without talking to any member of the Knicks front office.

Then while at Latvia, the official Twitter account of Kristaps Porzingis was “hacked” wherein the message was about the Los Angeles Clippers. Porzingis and his camp insisted that he was hacked and he is still interested in finishing his career in New York. However, things got even worse last Saturday when Janis, the older brother and co-agent of Kristaps, had a meeting with Phil Jackson.

The meeting did not go well since both sides want very different things, as reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Porzingis is not interested in playing the triangle offense after two failed seasons but Jackson is not giving up in his goal of turning the Knicks around. The 11-time NBA champion coach will reportedly have more influence on the Knicks coaching staff and he wants to focus on the triangle offense even more.

Another concern for the Knicks is when Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek revealed that Kristaps Porzingis did not respond to him when he reached out thru a text message. Finally, the latest bad move for the Knicks is letting go of assistant coach Josh Longstaff on Sunday.

Longstaff, the favorite coach of Porzingis, was in Latvia last summer to work out with the 21-year-old star. Although Longstaff was released by the Knicks, he will reportedly visit Latvia again this summer and train with Kristaps, according to Janis. Now that the relationship between Porzingis and the Knicks are still unclear, rumors are running around about the future of the Porzingis.

According to Adam Miller of FanSided, a trade between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics that will bring Kristaps Porzingis to Beantown is a match made in heaven for both teams. Miller pointed out the Knicks can begin their rebuild if they can trade Porzingis, who does not want to be part of a losing team.

The Celtics, on the other hand, finally get the third star to play with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford. Porzingis can play on both sides of the floor and he does not need the ball in his hands to be effective unlike other rumored Celtics trade targets like Paul George and Jimmy Butler. Porzingis has been very effective playing alongside iso-heavy superstar Carmelo Anthony.

Miller suggested a potential Kristaps Porzingis to Boston trade wherein the Knicks acquire the 2017 first overall pick and small forward Jae Crowder. The Celtics get Porzingis while the Knicks can finally start a rebuild with Crowder replacing Anthony, who might also get traded this summer. Phil Jackson can draft Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball with the first overall pick while getting the replacement for Porzingis with their own eighth overall selection.

The Celtics already have a replacement for Crowder in 2016 third overall pick Jaylen Brown, who has played great in the playoffs. Boston also still has the 2018 first round pick from the Brooklyn Nets that has the potential to be the first overall once again.

The future of the Celtics is bright and they get closer in dethroning LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers if they can acquire Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks also get a fresh start in what could be Jackson’s final chance in proving that he can be successful as an executive.

However, it should be noted that the Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics trade is purely speculative at the moment and nothing has been confirmed. Take it with a grain of salt but expect more rumors as the 2017 NBA Draft approaches. The Celtics are likely to make a deal this summer since they are not going to defeat the Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.

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