Kristaps Porzingis Thanks Celtics, Fans After Trade to Hawks, 'Forever Grateful'
After getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Kristaps Porziņģis expressed his gratitude toward the Boston Celtics and their fans on Wednesday morning.
In a post on X, the 29-year-old called the Celtics a "class organization" and noted that he is "forever grateful" for his time there:
ESPN's Shams Charania (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps) reported Tuesday that the Celtics agreed to send Porziņģis and a second-round pick to the Hawks as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics received wing Georges Niang and a second-rounder, while the Nets landed wing Terance Mann and the No. 22 overall pick in Wednesday's 2025 NBA draft from the Hawks.
Porziņģis spent the past two seasons in Boston following a trade from the Washington Wizards.
The 2018 NBA All-Star enjoyed two highly productive regular seasons with the Celtics, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 three-pointers made and 1.9 blocks per game in 2023-24.
He followed that up with averages of 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 three-pointers made, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest last season.
Injuries prevented the Latvian center from achieving even more in Boston, as they limited him to 57 regular-season games in 2023-24 and 42 in 2024-25.
A calf strain forced Porziņģis to miss most of the Celtics' playoff run in 2024, but he returned during the NBA Finals and helped Boston win its first championship since 2008.
He missed the start of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing offseason foot surgery, and he didn't make his debut until late November.
He missed some time this past season with what was described as a "non-COVID illness," and it clearly impacted Porziņģis during the playoffs.
In 11 postseason games, he averaged just 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 21 minutes per contest, and he shot an uncharacteristically poor 31.6 percent from the field.
The Celtics' quest for back-to-back championships ended in the second round against the New York Knicks.
Star forward Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles during the series, meaning he could miss most or all of next season. Rather than fortifying the rest of the roster, Boston has made some cost-cutting moves so far this offseason.
In addition to trading Porziņģis, the Celtics agreed to send veteran guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks on Monday.
With those two trades, the Celtics dropped below the second salary-cap apron, giving them more flexibility to make additional moves via trade or free agency.
As for Porziņģis, he joins a Hawks team that has missed the playoffs in two straight years, although they could be a sleeper team in the Eastern Conference next season with a core of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Porziņģis.
