Former Celtics Star Kristaps Porzingis Viewed as Catalyst for Hawks’ Potential Rise

The Boston Celtics decided to make the move to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in order to shed some salary. They are pursuing the goal of getting under the second apron of the luxury tax.

In order to get under that threshold, Porzingis needed to be moved. Considering he didn't play much during the playoffs because of some sort of mysterious illness, the Celtics won't miss him that much.

The Hawks are thrilled to have Porzingis as part of their roster heading into next season. In fact, he could be a big part of their success next season if they are able to make a leap.

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Atlanta loves the fact that Porzingis can hit threes and protect the rim when he's out there. According to Brad Botkin of CBS Sports, Porzingis is one of the best pickups this offseason.

Botkin specifically mentions how well he believes Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu pair together.

"As mentioned above, size matters again in the NBA and the Hawks now have two centers in Onyeka Okongwu and Porziņģis who complement one another well enough to actually share the court rather than just swap in for one another (as was the case with Okongwu and Clint Capela)."

Porzingis is one of the best 3-point shooters at the center position, and that's why Boston made the trade for him in the first place. Unfortunately, availability was a major problem for him with the Celtics.

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Porzingis only played in 99 out of a possible 164 regular season games during his tenure in Boston. He was even less available during the playoffs, only playing in the NBA Finals in 2024 before disappearing this past postseason.

If he is going to impact the Hawks in a meaningful way, he has to stay healthy. They need him when the playoffs roll around, because they are expected to make the playoffs in a weakened Eastern Conference.

With Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles, the Celtics might fall out of the playoffs. The Pacers could too without Tyrese Haliburton, so Porzingis has a shot to really make a massive impact with his new team.

This past season, Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

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