ATLANTA — When the Celtics face the Hawks on Saturday, they won’t be seeing an old friend in Kristaps Porzingis on the court. The big man is listed as out on the Hawks injury report due to left Achilles tendinitis.
Porzingis has endured a tough season where an illness knocked him out for weeks. This Achilles issue is the latest setback for him. Jaylen Brown, talking at C’s shootaround at State Farm Arena, spoke about what it’ll be like to see Porzingis. The two had a good relationship when Porzingis played for the C’s from 2023-25.
“He’s in my hometown,” Brown said. “I remember we did a segment when he was in Boston and we came to Atlanta. I took him to American Deli and he went up to my high school as well. So I feel like that was kind of me helping him get introduced to the city. Hopefully he’s enjoyed it. Atlanta has many things to offer historically, so hopefully he’s having a great time. I haven’t communicated with him as much but it’ll be great to see him tonight if he’s here.”
Porzingis is a talented big man when he’s healthy and playing, but that’s been the struggle for him throughout his career. This season, he’s played in just 17 games (12 starts), averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Porzingis hasn’t played since Jan. 7 because injuries keep slowing him down.
When the Hawks traded for the big man, it came with the expectation that they would be taking a step toward competing in the East. The C’s sent Porzingis to the Hawks in a three-team trade, getting Georges Niang in return. It was one of a few cost-cutting moves Boston made over the course of the offseason.
But the Hawks have been injured and mediocre. They’re 20-23 going into Saturday’s game, once again looking like a play-in team. Porzingis now finds himself in trade rumors ahead of February’s trade deadline. He’s on an expiring $30.7 million contract.
The Hawks have been linked to potentially trading for Anthony Davis, though he’s also an injury prone big man. Atlanta also already made its first big move of the season, trading All-Star guard Trae Young to the Wizards in what was effectively a salary dump.