Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis reportedly near extension: 5 takeaways from Day 1 of NBA free agency
Oshae Brissett, Malcolm Brogdon trade rumors, and more.
Just one day after the Celtics introduced Kristaps Porzingis as the newest member of the team, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that the Celtics are “expected to finalize” a two-year contract extension worth $60 million with the former Wizards big man.
The new deal isn’t a surprise – the Celtics reportedly made the trade, which sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, with an extension in mind. Porzingis, however, took significantly less than the $77 million contract for which he was eligible.
Porzingis, it seems, might not have been exaggerating his enthusiasm about playing for the Celtics in his press conference on Thursday.
“The most exciting feeling that you can get,” Porzingis said, when asked about joining a team that has a chance to compete for a title. “The idea of that, that’s why it made it super easy and made it my complete favorite option was to come here to Boston. That fire that I got from that idea is going to gas me up for the rest of the summer.”
Porzingis added that he believes he can make life easier for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which is the big bet Stevens made as well – both with the trade and with the financial commitment he made to the 7-foot-3 sharpshooter.
Prior to the Porzingis trade, Stevens largely seemed content hitting singles and doubles with his moves as the team’s president of basketball operations. But trading Smart and adding Porzingis – and then inking Porzingis to a new deal – gives the Celtics a new, more offensively dynamic look while moving on from a nine-year veteran in Smart who imprinted himself on the Celtics in a number of ways. The new contract for Porzingis brings the Celtics to nearly $101 million committed to six players next offseason before Jaylen Brown signs what is expected to be a highly lucrative contract extension.
“We’re really lucky – we’ve got the green light to continue to add,” Stevens said on Thursday. “I think that the biggest part for us is making sure that we are smart about building a team. Obviously, you’re always looking at it from the standpoint of this year, but also down the road.
“But I do think that again, we’re fortunate that we’re deep into the tax last year. We’ll be into it this year and have the green light to continue to do it. We just want to be building a team that makes sense playing together.”
On paper, Porzingis fits that mold nicely. Joe Mazzulla put a massive emphasis on 3-point shooting, which Porzingis did at a 38.5 percent clip last year. He has a quick release and a shot that is virtually unblockable at his height, and he can comfortably shoot a few steps back from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, he improved drastically in the post last year, which would be a big boost for the Celtics – having another player who can create his own offense, particularly at center, would relieve a lot of pressure for the stars.
On Thursday, Porzingis drew a parallel to Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, who drew attention away from him last year and helped him reach career-highs in several statistical categories.
“Jayson and Jaylen, they’re super high-level guys,” Porzingis said. “They’re going to pretty much have the whole team, the opposite team, all of their attention is going to be on them. That might make me offensively much more open and I look forward to hopefully doing the same back to them and drawing some attention. It’s just going to be a little bit of time until we find that chemistry on the floor, but it could be a very good mix for sure.”
Stevens certainly hopes so. The Celtics have plenty of draft assets to remain somewhat flexible, but the roster will soon be very expensive.
Other takeaways from the opening day of free agency:
2. The Celtics signed Oshae Brissett to a minimum deal, with a player option for the second season, per multiple reports. Brissett played for Indiana last year, where he scored a season-high 27 points against Boston in February. Brissett adds wing depth to a team that really needed it behind Tatum and Brown – only Sam Hauser and second-round pick Jordan Walsh, whose contract status is also unclear at this stage, were on the team prior to the Brissett signing. He shot poorly from behind the arc last year (31 percent), but he’s long and athletic, giving the Celtics an important depth piece whether or not they re-sign Grant Williams. Adding wing depth with minimal cap pain is nice work.
3. Williams, meanwhile, might be in a difficult spot. No team was likely to tie up their cap space on an offer sheet to a restricted free agent this early, and he now might face a tight market. Two potential suitors may have taken themselves out of the running, as the Pacers signed former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown and the Rockets gave former Raptors guard Fred Van Vleet a max contract. Per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Williams is “increasingly likely” to return to the Celtics if his market dries up.
4. Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, had not signed his contract extension late Friday evening. Brown is eligible for a five-year deal worth $295 million after making All-NBA second team this season. The consensus seems to be that Brown and the Celtics will be able to come to a deal. Whether that’s for the full $295 million or not, expect Brown to be very, very highly paid for the next five seasons.
5. The Clippers reportedly re-engaged the Celtics on a deal for Malcolm Brogdon prior to free agency. Nothing materialized on Friday, and it’s unclear how seriously the Celtics took the Clippers. Himmelsbach reported that the Celtics aren’t looking to trade Brogdon.
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