8 takeaways as Brad Stevens discussed Marcus Smart, Kristaps Porzingis trade
Brad Stevens says big man Kristaps Porzingis has "really taken another step."
On Thursday, following an eventful 2023 NBA draft, Brad Stevens addressed the media and discussed a number of topics – most notably the trade that sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies and brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston.
Here are the takeaways.
1. Stevens said his conversation with Smart about the trade – which, according to Shams Charania, took place 10-15 minutes before the news broke – wasn’t long. The two spoke briefly, then saw each other again the next morning at the practice facility. Stevens said he told Smart how much he appreciated the imprint Smart left both on the franchise and on the community.
“I told him when he got here, we were 25-57 the year before, and the greatest legacy that you can leave is it’s better off because you were there,” Stevens said. “I think that everybody here feels that way.”
Per the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Smart took the news like a “gut punch.” Still, he is headed to a winning situation that really needs him specifically both on and off the court, and he leaves behind a fan base that largely seems to feel punched in the gut right along with him.
“He’ll always have Boston, for sure, right?” Stevens said. “I think Boston really appreciates him, and certainly I do. He knows we’ll do anything for him, but it was hard.”
2. The Clippers reportedly balked at the initial trade construction that would have kept Smart in Boston and would have instead sent Malcolm Brogdon to Los Angeles. Stevens didn’t discuss the specifics of any other potential deal, but he did say the Celtics do their best “to know any of your potential options.”
In other words, there’s a good chance the Celtics knew they could put together the framework to trade Smart in advance and were able to pivot quickly when the Clippers nearly torpedoed the deal.
3. Stevens sounds sky-high on Porzingis. Concerns could be raised that Porzingis had a career year in Washington with 23.2 points per game on efficient shooting both inside and outside the arc, which might not be replicable. Stevens doesn’t share those concerns.
“I thought he had just really taken another step,” Stevens said. “He was already good, but he just took another step.”
Porzingis, who averaged 1.18 points per possession on post-up attempts last year, brings a new dimension to the Celtics’ offense. The Celtics are banking on his ability to be a hub for the offense at times, either playing next to one of Robert Williams and Al Horford, or as the stand-alone center. His offensive versatility will pair nicely with his rim protection.
Stevens added that he “hopes” Porzingis signs an extension to remain in Boston.
“He’s been a really good player thus far and only has gotten better,” Stevens said. “I think to me, that’s the part that really stands out. Sometimes when you’re the fourth pick in the draft and you get all these accolades and all this attention and all these eyes, and you’re going through your growth process, there’s some ups and downs.
“But he’s hit a point where he’s starting to I think really play and play at the best level I’ve seen.”
4. The draft itself was chaotic, but Stevens said the Celtics had a list of players they liked. Arkansas wing Jordan Walsh was one.
“He’s a good prospect,” Stevens said. “He’s young, we don’t expect him to come in and take the world on fire in the first couple of months of summer league, first year. He has a special ability laterally and with his wingspan to, like, swallow people up defensively. He really creates havoc with his arms and with his energy and with his ability to move his feet.”
Walsh has an intriguing skill set – the 11th-longest wingspan in the draft at more than 7’1, with a 36-inch vertical leap. Defensively, the Dallas native is hyper-aggressive, the kind of player who compiles a defensive highlight reel. One scouting video listed his best attributes as “defensive impact, playmaking potential and winning plays.”
A defensive highlight reel? Winning plays? A Dallas native? That, uh, might remind you of someone.
Walsh has never been a good shooter, either from deep or the free-throw line, but Stevens expressed confidence in his potential.
“We had him in twice for workouts,” Stevens said. “He’s just getting better and better, and I’ve always thought his touch looked good, but he looked hesitant at times. So I think over time, he’ll become a really good shooter who has the athleticism to finish and drive closeouts.
“But he’ll be ahead on the defensive end to start.”
5. After acquiring the No. 25 pick in the draft as part of the deal for Porzingis, Stevens traded No. 25 down to No. 31, acquiring a second-round pick in the process. He then traded down again, going from 31 to 34 and 39. He then moved 34 back to 38, nabbing another pick, and finally traded the player he acquired at No. 39 for another second-rounder.
When the dust settled, Stevens had acquired:
- Dallas’ 2024 second-round pick
- The best pick from either the Pistons, Warriors or Wizards in 2025
- The best pick from either Minnesota, New Orleans, New York or Portland in 2026
- Atlanta’s 2027 second-round pick.
Those selections replenish the cupboards for the Celtics, who will only make their own second-round pick three times in the next seven years. Expect the Celtics to continue attaching picks to trades in exchange for helpful veterans whenever the possibility exists.
“One of these days I’ll pick a first-round pick,” Stevens quipped. ‘It might be a while.”
6. Stevens couldn’t talk about the new additions to the assistant coaching ranks aside from Sam Cassell and Charles Lee. Stevens did say the new faces should “bring great energy” and “are excited to be here,” which in itself might be progress after Ime Udoka’s suspension and subsequent firing left a staff full of Udoka’s hires still on the payroll.
7. Stevens also balked at talking about Derrick White’s role in Smart’s absence.
“We’re going to need Derrick to continue to be great, and we have no doubt he will, but we’ve got a lot of other capable guards too,” he said. “Obviously Payton [Pritchard], Malcolm, Derrick, we have a lot of good players back there. Again, last year we had four really good players, and we couldn’t get any time for Payton, and we just were maybe pretty thin up front if we went into some games with not having some guys available.”
8. Expect the Celtics to remain active as they look to finish their roster, but Stevens sounds really high on the Celtics’ trio of Tatum, Brown and Porzingis.
“[Porzingis] is a super skilled basketball player,” Stevens said. “We didn’t post a ton this year, but to be able to throw the ball in the post and just shoot over a switch and do it so efficiently and effectively is a big deal, let alone be able to play behind the line and shoot the ball or drive it, those types of things.
“He brings a lot to our team. You can envision as I can envision some of the lineups we could put out there size-wise right now. Pretty intriguing. And not without dropping any skill at all. So that’s a good thing.”
“Pretty intriguing” is certainly accurate. Porzingis is undeniably talented. The trade makes a lot of basketball sense if the Celtics can find a way to fill some of the remaining holes.
But the last 48 hours felt like the start of something new. Without trading away Brown or Tatum, Stevens seems to have ushered in a new era – a new look with a number of familiar faces.
The cost was a hefty one. We’ll see if the roster Stevens is building can foot the bill.
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