The Boston Celtics have traded center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that also includes the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania:
Boston, Atlanta and Brooklyn are finalizing a three-team trade that sends Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Hawks, Terance Mann and Atlanta’s No. 22 pick to the Nets, and Georges Niang and a second-rounder to the Celtics.
The move comes a day after Boston and the Portland Trail Blazers worked together to move Anfernee Simons to Boston in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
The move puts the Celtics below the NBA salary cap’s second apron, avoiding penalties such as not being able to use the mid-level exception and a restriction on sign and trades, among others.
The 29-year-old Porzingis played 42 games in a season interrupted by an extended stretch out of the lineup with lingering symptoms from a respiratory illness, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 boards, and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game.