After losing to the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics will enter the offseason deciding what to do with some of their players. One of them includes Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis has made it clear how much he loves it in Boston, but that doesn't negate the fact that he is expensive to keep around. Despite Porzingis' contributions to their title in 2024, he may be on a new team this offseason.
NBA Insider Marc Stein reported on The Stein Line that Porzingis is the most likely player on the team to be traded this summer. However, it doesn't have as much to do with what he can do on the court as what he can do for a trade partner's payroll.
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8).
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8).
© Eric Canha-Imagn Images
"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.
Stein noted Porzingis' health struggles, which may play a role in his appeal as a trade target.
"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," Stein wrote.
The Celtics are projected to cross the NBA's second tax apron for the third consecutive season, which they may want to avoid because it would result in frozen draft assets and an inability to aggregate contracts in trades.
Boston will be tasked with trading players like Porzingis to get under the apron while maintaining their championship-caliber roster.