The Boston Celtics and newly acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis are expected to finalize a two-year contract extension worth approximately $60M, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link).
Porzingis, who was acquired by Boston in a trade with the Washington Wizards last week, is extension-eligible but can only tack on a maximum of two new years to his current deal due to the NBA’s extend-and-trade restrictions. Marc Stein has reported multiple times that Porzingis was likely to receive an extension from Boston.
A former All-Star with the New York Knicks, Porzingis has dealt with a series of injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2018-19 season. However, he enjoyed his finest NBA season in 2022-23 with the Wizards, averaging 23.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.5 BPG in 65 games (32.6 MPG).
In addition to his strong rim protection at 7-foot-3, Porzingis was also a very efficient scorer last season, posting a .498/.385/.851 shooting line, good for a 62.7% true shooting percentage, which accounts for twos, threes and free throws. He is not a traditional back-to-the-basket big man, but excelled in the post this past season by using his size to shoot over opponents.
While the 27-year-old had a great season, it’s a major risk to add another $60M to Porzingis’ contract. With Jaylen Brown highly likely to receive a super-max extension this summer (it will kick in next year) and Jayton Tatum certain to receive the same in 2024 (it would start in 2025), the Celtics are looking like a repeat taxpayer for the foreseeable future.
Still, if they can break through and win a title (or titles) in the coming years, I’m sure ownership will be happy to foot the bill.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
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