Kristaps Porzingis has been traded four times in his career and is ready to influence winning next to Trae Young after dealing with Atlanta Hawks.
For the fourth time in his career, Kristaps Porzingis is on trade. The Boston Celtics sent him to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Georges Nian and a second-round draft pick in 2031.
For fans, the deal was no surprise. To get under the second apron, Boston traded Porzingis and Julu holidays, causing Luke Cornett and Al Horford to walk in free agency.
In addition to Porzingis, Atlanta is expected to add Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard to make noise at the Eastern Conference to maximize Trae Young and Breakout candidate Jalen Johnson.
Like the fans, Porzingis knew there was a deal coming. At 29, he is looking for a new contract next summer with a year and $30 million left on his contract. He was able to be sent to the reconstruction team for a year’s rental.
Instead, he can compete on a winning team. This is something he doesn’t take for granted.
“I was expecting this deal, so that wasn’t a surprise,” he said in the Latvian. Hoopshype. “And I’m actually a good situation for me and not necessarily something I’ve dreamed of, but it’s a strong fit. So overall, I’m very happy.”
Atlanta has played play-in tournaments in each of the last two seasons, but has not been able to punch tickets for the playoffs.
With the addition of shooting around Young, the Hawks are expected to make a leap, and even increase their home court advantage in their first round for the first time since 2016.
Porzingis enjoys playing for a winning team, or at least a team that expects victory, but he has played for a significant share of the reconstruction team.
Porzingis did not play on the winning team until his fourth season in the league, and was traded for the Washington Wizards two seasons later by the Dallas Mavericks, missing out on the playoffs in both seasons in the capital.
The Hawks, like a wizard, do not have precisely a victory pedigree despite their ambitions. That doesn’t stop Porzingis from getting excited about his next chapter.
“To be honest, I felt good everywhere,” he said. “Even in Washington, I was very happy and didn’t pay any attention to who was playing there. I could just go outside, play and be happy. I think people noticed that they were smiling and enjoying the game.
The Hawks have the fourth best odds to win the Eastern Conference after adding Porzingis. And the Hawks easily surpassed expectations as East is more open than ever, with the younger ones ultimately lowering their second-round scorers.