5. Boston Celtics (essentially) trading Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis
In an attempt to upgrade their roster this offseason, it seemed as if the Boston Celtics were dead-set on making some changes. However, I don’t think anyone envisioned the Celtics to make the big move for Kristaps Porzingis. Ultimately, in order for the Celtics to make this deal work, it cost them Marcus Smart. As part of a three-team deal, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston got Kristaps. These are the two elements of the deal that we’re going to focus on.
In a vacuum, with the logjam that the Celtics had in the backcourt, trading a guard for a scoring big made sense. Though, it’s one thing to break up a logjam but it’s an entirely different thing to trade the heart and soul of the team for Kristaps, a player who is good but is probably not the presence that Smart was in the locker room.
It’ll be interesting to see how this ends up playing out for the Celtics. No matter how you discuss this deal, it’s certainly a huge risk. Smart was such a big part of the Celtics that losing him will certainly have its consequences. The Celtics are just betting that those consequences are outweighed by the advantages that Kristaps brings with him. Quite frankly, there’s no guarantee that it will.