NBA Rumors: Kristaps Porziņģis Likely to Land Celtics Contract Extension After Trade

The Celtics will reportedly offer Kristaps Porziņģis a long-term contract extension in July upon the completion of a three-team trade sending the big man to Boston.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported an extension is the "expectation" between the two parties. A handshake agreement to discuss an extension was likely a condition of Porziņģis opting into his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Celtics will send Malcolm Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers and Danilo Gallinari to the Washington Wizards, while the Clippers are moving Marcus Morris, Amir Coffey and the No. 30 overall pick to the Wizards. While the larger framework of the deal is in place, the three teams remain at work to complete the deal.

The Celtics will be Porziņģis' fourth NBA team. He previously played for the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks before joining the Wizards. The 2018 All-Star returned to form in Washington, averaging a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while blocking 1.5 shots per game and shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.

The Wizards are set to embark on a full-scale rebuild under new president of basketball operations Michael Winger. The team already agreed to trade Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and will now send Porzingis to Boston.

While a Washington rebuild is a long time coming, the mistakes of Winger's predecessor Tommy Sheppard are apparent in the egregious haul the Wizards had to take for Beal and Porzingis. Beal did not fetch a single first-round pick via trade when he likely would have been worth three or four last summer. Porziņģis likely would have garnered a much better offer had Winger shopped him in February ahead of the trade deadline.

Instead, the Celtics land a third 20-point scorer at a relatively paltry cost as they attempt to transform their roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Expect Boston to take advantage of Porziņģis' versatility by playing him at both the 4 and 5 next season, with Al Horford and Robert Williams also filling out the big-man minutes. Porziņģis arrival could wind up ending restricted free agent Grant Williams' time in Boston as well.