The Boston Celtics shook up their roster late Wednesday night with a reported three-team trade involving the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Celtics acquired center Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards and two first-round draft picks from the Grizzlies, one of which is the No. 25 overall pick in Thursday night's 2023 NBA Draft. The C's also sent guard Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, in addition to moving forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala and the No. 35 overall pick Thursday night to the Wizards.
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The departure of Smart is significant. He was an elite defensive player and the team's best playmaker on offense. He also was the longest-tenured C's player and played in a whopping 108 playoff games for Boston. They will miss his leadership, passion and other attributes.
The addition of Porzingis has the potential to be a home run for the C's, though. If healthy, he should provide consistent scoring, quality outside shooting, rebounding and strong interior defense. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game and shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range last season.
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The Celtics had strong guard depth before this trade and still do following Smart's departure. They could use more depth on the wings, and also another center given the injury histories of Porzingis and Robert Williams III.
Here's an updated depth chart for the Celtics following the three-team trade. (This depth chart doesn't include Grant Williams, who is set to become a restricted free agent and reportedly isn't expected to remain with the team following Porzingis' addition.)
- Guards: Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard
- Wings: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser
- Bigs: Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Luke Kornet
What does the Celtics' payroll situation look like in the short term? Here's a look at the team's salaries for the next three seasons.
The Celtics are already over the luxury tax right now and that's without a new contract for restricted free agent Grant Williams or the salary that would have to be spent on their first-round pick, assuming Boston keeps the No. 25 overall selection it received from the Grizzlies in the Porzingis trade.
Porzingis is only signed through 2023-24, so if he can't stay healthy or isn't a good on-court fit with this group, the Celtics could let him walk in free agency next summer. There's no long-term commitment to him as of right now.
If Brown signs a five-year, $295 million supermax contract extension this summer, that wouldn't begin until the 2024-25 campaign.
Tatum and Brown will soon both make $50-plus million per year, which will make it more challenging for the Celtics to surround them with a deep and talented bench. As a result, it will be critically important for the Celtics to hit on their first-round draft picks and add good young players on cheap contracts who can play a meaningful role.