Kristaps Porzingis Used Two Words to Describe the Celtics After Being Traded

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 9:58 AM ET

Kristaps Porzingis only played two seasons with the Boston Celtics, but he left a lasting impact on the city and the organization. After a year and a half in Washington, Porzingis joined the Celtics and played a key role in their 2023-24 title run.

However, the 2024-25 season didn’t go as planned. Porzingis appeared in just 42 regular-season games and 11 in the playoffs. The Celtics were eliminated in the second round by the New York Knicks, and an injury to Boston star Jayson Tatum during that series shifted the team’s outlook heading into the offseason.

On Tuesday, the Celtics traded Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks. The move came shortly after the Jrue Holiday trade, both signaling Boston's efforts to trim salary and reset the roster.

In typical classy fashion, Porzingis shared a short but heartfelt message to Boston fans and the organization on Wednesday morning:

“Class organization.”

Boston will always be special in my heart.
Huge thank you to the organization, coaches, staff, my teammates and the fans!
Class organization. Forever grateful. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/z1KhKocN1I
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) June 25, 2025

He also expressed gratitude to his coaches, teammates, staff and the fans, saying he was “forever grateful” for his time in Boston.

The 7-foot-2 Latvian center was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Knicks. As a rookie, he played 72 games and averaged 14.3 points per contest.

Porzingis spent three seasons in New York before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. After less than three full seasons with the Mavericks, he landed in Washington before being dealt to Boston.

His best scoring year came in 2022-23 with the Wizards, where he averaged 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Over his career, Porzingis has appeared in 501 regular-season games, starting 500 of them, and has averaged 19.6 points per game.

Now in Atlanta, he’ll pair with Trae Young and play under head coach Quin Snyder. The Hawks finished last season 40-42, good for eighth in the Eastern Conference before dropping both games in the play-in tournament and missing the playoffs. With Porzingis in the fold, they’re hoping to climb higher in the standings and make a deeper playoff push.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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