The Celtics have announced that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His projected recovery timeline means he’ll miss next season's first month or two.
Porzingis wasn’t available for most of the Celtics’ playoff run because of his strained calf in the first-round series against Miami. He was able to return for the start of the NBA Finals but was knocked out of action in Game 2 with an injury that forced him to have surgery. He briefly returned as Boston won the title in Game 5, but he admitted that he probably made his condition worse by playing.
Injuries have plagued Porzingis throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy for most of the regular season, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per night. He negotiated a two-year, $60M extension after being traded to Boston last summer and is under contract through 2025-26.
Porzingis’ early-season absence increases the Celtics’ urgency to keep at least one of their backup centers. The team will want to be careful with Porzingis when he does return, along with veteran big man Al Horford, who recently turned 38. Boston holds a $2.2M team option on Neemias Queta, but Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents.
Brian Robb of MassLive suggests the front office should be aggressive on the free agent market to find another big man willing to accept a veteran’s minimum contract, which is all Boston can offer as a second-apron team. He lists former Celtic Daniel Theis as one possibility, along with Mason Plumlee, Andre Drummond and Drew Eubanks.
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