Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Celtics
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Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns looks on next to Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
With the Boston Celtics looking to shed salary, veteran center Kristaps Porziņģis is drawing interest from the Phoenix Suns, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported.
“I’ve also heard that Phoenix has done some background work on Kristaps Porziņģis with Boston known to be exploring its trade options up and down the roster,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on June 16.
Porziņģis, 29, is on a $30.7 million expiring salary. The Suns have a big hole in the middle that Porziņģis could fill in the short term. Such a move could also help the Suns get below the second apron while they re-tool around franchise star Devin Booker.
The Latvian center can spread the floor and protect the rim when healthy.
But before Celtics fans salivate about the prospect of swapping him for Kevin Durant, as he would be a great pinch-hitter for the injured Jayson Tatum (Achilles), they cannot do that because both teams are on the second apron. Hence, they cannot aggregate salaries to make the math work. On top of that, Boston isn’t on Durant’s short list of preferred destinations.
But there’s a world where the Celtics can be roped into a multi-team trade where Durant goes to one of his preferred teams while Porziņģis goes to the Suns. In return, the Celtics can get a quality player, though of lesser talent than Porziņģis, and salary cap relief.
Boston’s ‘Most Movable Vet’
Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics
Getty Kristaps Porzingis was named the “most movable veteran” in their starting lineup, which also includes Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.
In the aftermath of the Celtics’ disappointing second-round exit, NBA insider Marc Stein floated that Porziņģis could be the odd man out in Boston.
“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,” Stein wrote in his Substack newsletter, “The Stein Line” on May 18.
Nearly a month later, that appears to be the case with the Suns doing their due diligence on Porziņģis.
The 7-foot-1 center played a pivotal role in his first season with the Celtics last year, helping them raise their 18th banner to become the winningest franchise in the NBA. But he regressed this past season, no thanks to his complex health issues.
A mysterious respiratory illness rendered him ineffective in this dispirited Celtics playoff run, particularly in their second-round loss to the New York Knicks.
Porziņģis averaged just 4.2 points on 24% shooting in their second-round loss to the New York Knicks. He averaged just 15.5 minutes per game.
Celtics Warned Against Trading Kristaps Porziņģis
Trading Porziņģis could be one way for the Celtics to slash their staggering payroll that would reach about $500 million if they run it back. But a league source warned the Celtics about trading their stretch center in an interview with Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett.
“You do realize that if Porziņģis is healthy, we’re not having this conversation, right?” the league source told Bulpett. “The Celtics win that series, Thibodeau gets fired and almost nobody gives it a second thought. It had been set up that he needed to get that team this far or that far, or his job could be in question. Then they get to the conference finals and they still let him go. What does that tell you?”
However, Porziņģis’s availability because of his complex health issues has been a lingering problem. Over his first two seasons in Boston, Porziņģis has only appeared in 99 regular-season games or just a 60.3% availability.