Who Won the Blockbuster Porzingis Trade?

WHO WON THE BLOCKBUSTER PORZINGIS TRADE – Just one day before the 2023 NBA Draft, the trade buzz continued. One player that had been on the block was big man Kristaps Porzingis. But, just hours before he had to make the decision on his player option, he was sent to the Boston Celtics in a massive three-team trade. 

The Details

Here are the details of the trade as of Wednesday evening: 

• Boston Celtics: Acquire Kristaps Porzingis, send away Malcolm Brogdon
• Los Angeles Clippers: Acquire Malcolm Brogdon, trade Marcus Morris, 2023 first-round pick (#30), and Amir Coffey to the Washington Wizards 
• Washington Wizards: Acquire Amir Coffey, Marcus Morris, #30 in 2023, and Danilo Gallinari 

Porzingis’ name had been floating around for some time. 

But, late on Wednesday night, it was reported that the trade fell apart for some reason, putting a massive wrench in the situation. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the trade had fallen apart, but the Celtics were destined to find a deal work for Porzingis. 

However, it wouldn’t involve Boston. 

NBA insider Marc Stein then reported that the Clippers had “raised concerns” about the health of Malcolm Brogdon, so sending a first-round pick for him might have made them skeptical. 

Then, It Happened 

Just minutes before the 12 ET deadline for Porzingis to pick up his option, he was finally sent to the Celtics in a three-team trade. However, this time, the third team was the Memphis Grizzlies, who shipped off Tyus Jones to the Wizards. 

In another stunning surprise, the Celtics are sending Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies. On top of that, Memphis is sending a pair of first-round picks to Boston to facilitate the deal, per Woj. 

So, the Clippers are nowhere to be found in this deal, and now we can only speculate that maybe a Chris Paul reunion in LA happens after all. Nonetheless, after a wild turn of events, Porzingis is headed to Boston with the Wizards landing Tyus Jones. 

The Package

Now, let’s break it down a little bit. Here is the entire trade package, officially this time: 

Celtics receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Memphis 2023 1st (#25), GSW 2024 1st

Wizards receive: Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala 

Grizzlies receive: Marcus Smart 

The Celtics just landed Porzingis, a talented big man that is approaching his age 28 season and just had career-highs in points this past season. He immediately forms a dynamic Big 3 with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But, losing Smart is a brutal blow, and it will be interesting to see how the defense plays next year without one of the best defenders in the league. 

For the Wizards, they get rid of Porzingis’ contract and land Jones, who will see playing time if he stays in DC. 

Marcus Smart

Perhaps the most interesting part of this is the Grizzlies landing Smart.

They sent Jones to the Wizards (a player they had been looking to move). They also sent a pair of first-round picks to the Celtics but landed Smart, a proven veteran who has playoff experience and can easily replace Dillon Brooks.

A lineup of Ja Morant and Marcus Smart at the guard positions are going to be extremely interesting once Morant returns from his suspension, but giving up two first might be a little much. 

All in all, it was a wild Wednesday night in the Association.