After an earlier iteration involving the Clippers fell apart, the Celtics found another way to make a 3-team deal with the Wizards work for Kristaps Porzingis.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics were able to make a last-second deal with the Wizards to get Kristaps Porzingis. This came after an earlier deal involving the Clippers and Malcolm Brogdon fell apart after the Clippers had concerns about Brogdon's medicals.
Shockingly, the Celtics are sending Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal. They are also getting back the No. 25 overall pick in this year's draft with a 2024 future first-round pick. Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari will also be sent to the Wizards in the deal for salary cap reasons, with Washington also getting Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies and the No. 35 pick in this draft from Boston.
Tyus Jones is a very solid player on a good contract. He has excellent trade value if they choose to explore that option but it sounds like the Wizards may be ready to make him their starting point guard next season.
The Grizzlies were able to get a grown-up in that locker room and a point guard replacement for Ja Morant during the first 25 games of the season (while he is serving his suspension). Memphis may have slightly overpaid but Smart is a player on a very nice contract and will be with the team for the foreseeable future. It also sounds like Jones may have been unhappy with a long-term role as Morant's backup.
Why would the Celtics offer Marcus Smart in the Kristaps Porzingis deal?
It seems like this deal signals that the Celtics are trying to prepare for the situation if Jaylen Brown leaves this offseason or the next. This was a team that was desperate for Porzingis and spent hours assembling two different deals for him. There is certainly a path where they can extend Porzingis and Brown but it would lock them into a very specific and perhaps flawed core for the next few seasons.
Porzingis is a serious injury risk and played just 65 games last season, topping 60 for the first time since 2016-17. His rookie season is the only time in his career that he's played more than 70 games in a season. The Celtics were able to acquire two first-round picks in the deal but they gave up a fan-favorite and franchise cornerstone for a big question mark. If they don't have a plan for those picks, this could end up being a trade they regret.
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