It’s easy to argue that the Boston Celtics are the deepest team in the NBA. Thanks to the incredible team-building philosophy of the Brad Stevens-led front office, the team managed to win their 18th NBA title on the backs of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The roster quality they had last season is nothing to scoff at. From Derrick White and Jrue Holiday to Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser, there’s no question that the C’s will be equally tough to beat next season.
Kristaps Porzingis is one of the players who mad life difficult for Boston’s opponents over the season. He was a key offensive and defensive asset that gave opposing bigs plenty of problems.
While some Boston faithful expect KP to play out the rest of his contract with the C’s, rumors suggest that he could be out the door sooner than later.
Boston Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis linked with move to Houston
While the Celtics would love to keep their entire 2024 championship roster intact, tax issues could have the squad looking at moves that could help decrease their tax bill.
It’s unlikely that Derrick White and Jrue Holiday would be the ones getting cut due to how critical they were to their championship run. This fact leaves Porzingis as the only other starter who could be getting shipped off to ease their tax bill.
The Houston Rockets were tipped as possible trade partners to facilitate the move for Dillon Brooks and salary filler. Per Sports Illustrated’s Kade Kimble:
Given Houston’s identity with their defense a season ago, Porzingis would add some elite defensive prowess with his size and shot-blocking ability. As proven during his time in Boston and with other stops, Porzingis can truthfully swing a game.
Offensively, Porzingis is an incredible floor-spacer, despite being 7-foot-3. He’s also a vertical threat in the pick-and-roll action and is very versatile, being the first “unicorn” to hit the NBA.
If the Boston Celtics decide to part way with KP, they will be missing a major part of their success last season. He had a solid 2023-24 with averages of 20.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.9 BPG.
Celtics fans will be hoping that rumors of Porzingis leaving aren’t true, but they wouldn’t be significantly weaker without him.