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Kristaps Porziņģis Thought Celtics Would Trade Him To Spurs Instead Of Hawks

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 12:29 PM ET

The Boston Celtics traded NBA champion Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks on July 7. It was a three-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

Porziņģis went from Boston to Atlanta, Georges Niang went from Atlanta to Boston and Terance Mann and Drake Powell went from Atlanta to Brooklyn.

Porziņģis wasn’t shocked that the Celtics traded him. However, he thought he would get traded to the San Antonio Spurs instead of the Hawks.

“After the season, I spoke to my agent and kind of expected that one or more of us would be traded,” Kristaps Porziņģis said, via BasketNews. “For a while, I thought I might end up with the Spurs, but then Atlanta came in—and that was a nice surprise. It was out of my hands.”

Porziņģis will make $30.7 million next season in the final year of his contract. He helped Boston win the championship in 2024 against the Dallas Mavericks.

A one-time All-Star, Porziņģis appeared in 42 games for the Celtics last season. He averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 48.3% from the field, 41.2% from beyond the arc and 80.9% from the free-throw line.

“I think expectations are high,” Porziņģis said. “Atlanta’s been on the edge of the playoffs the last few years, sometimes getting through the first round. It’s a great situation for me to come in and contribute. Maybe even better than Boston, where it was championship or bust.”

The Hawks now have Porziņģis, Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. The team missed the playoffs last season for the second year in a row. Atlanta hasn’t won a postseason series since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

Porziņģis has played for the New York Knicks, Mavericks, Washington Wizards and Celtics. He has career averages of 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks.

“Here, the pressure isn’t the same—it’s easier to exceed expectations,” Porziņģis said. “That’s a better position to be in. It’s in our hands now, and I think we can surprise some people in the East.”