The dust has finally settled on the NBA trade deadline, and it was a wild one this time around. No, we didn’t see Giannis Antetokounmpo get moved to a new team, or even Ja Morant, for that matter. But there was no shortage of big names packing their bags in the past week.
Advertisement
The Warriors, still reeling from Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL just over two weeks ago, were rumored to be making a run at Giannis in the week leading up to the deadline. Draymond Green even spoke about accepting the possibility that he could be traded. In the end, though, Golden State must not have offered enough, because they had to pivot off the Greek Freak.
However, they did finally end the Jonathan Kuminga saga by packaging him with Buddy Hield to the Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis. The Warriors might have gotten themselves a nice consolation prize here, provided Porzingis can stay on the court for them.
The Latvian big man is averaging over 17 points and 5 rebounds per game, but durability has been an issue. He hasn’t played in a month and has only been on court in just 17 games this season. Green, who has to be relieved that he doesn’t need to type Milwaukee zip codes into Zillow, is a big fan of the move.
“I like it. Add more size, more rim protection, more shooting… He was the missing piece to the Boston championship,” Green said of the acquisition after the Warriors got a nice come-from-behind road win over the Suns Thursday night.
Of all the attributes Green listed, there’s no lie detected. Porzingis is a seven-footer that can give the Warriors an element of rim protection that they lack right now. He’s an elite shooter, especially for his size, so he can help space the floor and benefit from the open looks that playing next to Steph Curry will provide.
As far as being the missing piece to the Celtics’ 2024 title… It’s true that Porzingis did make a big impact for the Celtics in his two seasons on the team. However, he played very little in the postseason as he dealt with a calf strain. The Celtics won the title behind the strong efforts of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and company.
Durability isn’t just a red flag with the 30-year-old Porzingis; it’s a flashing neon sign at this point in his career. He has missed almost exactly one-third of the possible games in his NBA career. And he’s been in street clothes much of the past year due to a mystery illness, Achilles tendinitis, and other minor ailments.
The Warriors are desperate to stay in the hunt after losing Butler. So they had to take some kind of swing when it was clear that Giannis was no longer a possibility. Porzingis is a high-upside but high-risk play. With the Warriors currently four games over .500 and in eighth place in the West, they have to hope it pays off.
