After faltering in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics decided it was time to change up the roster.
The Celtics made the bold move to swap out Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis and also give the latter a two-year, $60 million extension upon the trade being completed.
It was a surprising move because Smart had just won the Defensive Player of the Year award the season prior, but Boston deemed Derrick White a suitable backcourt replacement.
Even with a frontcourt rotation of Al Horford and Robert Williams, Porzingis gives the Celtics a more potent floor-spacer at the center position who is also capable of knocking down perimeter jump shots when given opportunities.
However, Porzingis’ lengthy injury history came back to bite him this summer as he is dealing with plantar fasciitis.
The injury put him on a four-to-six-week rehab timeline but he was recently shown getting shots up at the team’s training facility via the Celtics’ Twitter account.
Kristaps Porzingis putting in work. 🔥
(via @celtics)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 25, 2023
The initial expectation was that Porzingis would be ready for training camp and it seems that he’s well on track given that he shows no signs of the injury in the video clip.
He only takes a few standstill jumpers, but it’s easy to see why Brad Stevens would decide to trade for him despite such a successful playoff record the past couple of seasons.
The former No. 4 overall pick had a resurgent season with the Washington Wizards this past year and was a borderline All-Star, so his presence should give Boston even more firepower to work with.
NEXT: Video Shows Old Celtics Big 3 Reunited For Marcus Smart's Wedding
