Kristaps Porzingis Opens Up About Trade From Celtics

After a salary dump due to luxury tax concerns, Kristaps Porzingis was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks last month.

Porzingis joined Boston in June of 2023 as part of a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. In 2024, he helped the Celtics to the NBA Finals but suffered a leg injury that put him in a limited role during the finals.

During the 2024-25 season, he played just 42 games due to multiple setbacks throughout the season. He was out for part of last season because of his ankle surgery from his NBA Finals injury and towards the end of the season had an illness.

“Our season (with the Celtics) didn’t end last year the way we wanted to,” Porzingis told Lauren Williams from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “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. And I’m super, super excited about what’s coming.”

The 29-year-old averaged 19.5 points per game, knocking down 41.2 percent of his three-pointers last season.

Now, as he moves onto the Hawks, Porzingis is focused on his new team in Atlanta.

“I think I’ll fit right in here and add more diversity, maybe even more offense,” Porzingis said. “And, yeah, I think there’s going to be more layers to this offense that’s already pretty powerful. But yeah, I think we can really be a force offensively.”