(AFP)
Kristaps Porzingis is headed from Washington to Boston in a three-team trade that will send Celtics talisman Marcus Smart to Memphis, ESPN reported Thursday as the NBA draft loomed.
Hours before the draft was set to confirm French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama’s arrival at the San Antonio Spurs, who have the first selection, teams around the league were starting to move talent.
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Part of the deal has the Memphis Grizzlies sending their first-round pick in the draft — the 25th overall pick — to Boston, while the Celtics send the 35th pick in the draft to the Washington Wizards.
Boston will also send forward Danilo Gallinari and center Mike Muscala to Washington as part of the trade, ESPN reported.
The three-team deal came together on Wednesday night, shortly before the deadline for Porzingis to opt in to his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, said that once the deal was made he did opt in.
Latvian star Porzingis, the fourth overall selection in the 2015 draft, averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks in 65 games last season for the Wizards, who acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics will be hoping adding Porzingis to a lineup already featuring All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown helps them again challenge for a title, after falling to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in 2022 and to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals this season.
But life without Smart will be a big adjustment for Boston. In nine years with the club, Smart was a key motivator. The longest-tenured player on the roster, he was also a versatile defender.
The Grizzlies will be hoping he’ll provide them with the same heart as they seek to bounce back from a first-round playoff exit to the Los Angeles Lakers and the suspension of star Ja Morant over the first 25 games of next season.
