Report: Projected trade between Celtics, Wizards, Clippers falls apart
For a couple of hours on Wednesday, multiple reports suggested the Celtics, Clippers and Wizards were on the precipice of a major trade. Late Wednesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski through water on the flame by reporting the deal fell apart.
That means Wizards power forward Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics point guard Malcolm Brogdon and Clippers power forward Marcus Morris are staying put. For now.
Wojnarowski added Washington is still trying to work on a deal to send Porzingis to Boston.
Washington is in the midst of a teardown of its roster after agreeing to terms on a trade sending Bradley Beal to Phoenix earlier this week. It makes sense for the Wizards to trade Porzingis and accelerate their rebuild.
More pressure should be on Boston to get the deal done, however. Not only would the Celtics miss out on a talented frontcourt scoring threat by not landing Porzingis, but they would also have to smooth things over with Brogdon after deeming him expendable in the trade.
The front office could look to move him in another trade but it's questionable whether the Celtics would be able to get a talent like Porzingis in another deal involving Brogdon, making this perhaps the best bet for Brad Stevens to improve the roster.
As Wojnarowski notes, it's still possible that Porzingis is a Celtic by the start of the 2023-24 season but the clock is ticking.
For a league that never sleeps, it's only fitting that the Wizards and Celtics need to work overtime to turn this deal into a reality.
More must-reads: