Porzingis was traded from the Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks, deal was finalized on July 7
The Boston Celtics signaled to the rest of the NBA that a re-tool of their roster is underway after trading away Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis.
In particular, Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks after spending the last two seasons with the Celtics. He averaged 19.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over that span.
However, Porzingis struggled mightily in the playoffs this past season as he battled through an illness. In 11 playoff games (7 starts), Porzingis averaged just 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He and the Celtics were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the New York Knicks in six games as they failed to repeat as NBA champions.
Recently, the 29-year-old spoke with Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the trade.
“Our season didn’t end last year the way we wanted to,” Porzingis said. “ But this is how it goes, you know. And obviously, we expected that there were going to be changes in my whole team…And also (I) jumped in the middle of the season, and it’s obviously tough, and just having this time off and being able to recharge a bit and get ready for a big summer, and then going into next year, it’s, honestly, it’s the perfect scenario, the perfect scenario.”
Porzingis had struggled with inconsistency, and injury fatigue through his tenure with the Celtics. Mix those factors in with his costly contract, and it’s no surprise that Porzingis was dealt in what was largely a salary dump by the Celtics.
Category: Basketball
