Kevin Garnett warns Celtics about losing key player

The Boston Celtics are facing a major offseason of key decisions, but Kevin Garnett believes there is one player the organization cannot afford to lose.

Garnett believes the Celtics must find a way to retain Kristaps Porzingis this summer. Porzingis is entering the final year of his contract, and has become the subject of trade rumors.

“You gotta bring Porzingis back, man,” Garnett said on his “Ticket & The Truth” podcast. “Porzingis makes it all unguardable. When Porzingis is (in there) and everybody’s healthy — he wasn’t healthy at all at the end. He couldn’t even get a prognosis on what was going on.”

In Garnett’s mind, the Celtics are at their best with Porzingis fully healthy. He creates mismatches on defense and makes it even harder for opponents to deal with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

As Garnett noted, Porzingis struggled with a virus toward the end of the season, and the after-effects lingered well into the playoffs. As a result, he averaged just 7.7 points per game during the playoffs while shooting 31.6 percent from the field.

The Celtics may be faced with having to make some moves this offseason to keep their payroll from exploding. With three notable players set to be prioritized for retention, Porzingis is a prime candidate to be moved. Garnett clearly feels that would be a mistake.