Kristaps Porzingis, who averaged 19.5 and 6.8 rebounds last season, would be joining his 4th team in 5 years.
The Boston Celtics have traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks in part of a three-team deal that gave the Brooklyn Nets one of their five rookies from the 2025 NBA Draft.
Porziņģis heads to the Hawks, while Georges Niang and a second-round pick will go to Boston. Brooklyn got Terance Mann from the Hawks and the rights Drake Powell, who was selected 22nd overall in the NBA Draft. The teams officially announced the trade on July 7.
Hawks receive:
- Kristaps Porziņģis
- 2026 second-round pick (via Celtics)
Celtics receive:
- Georges Niang (via Hawks)
- 2031 second-round pick
- Cash considerations (via Nets)
Nets receive:
- Terance Mann
- Drake Powell (No. 22 overall)
Full details on the move ⬇️ https://t.co/KyDWMk66zb
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 7, 2025
ESPN first reported on the trade, which was later confirmed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The move is the second major one by Boston of the week, after the team agreed to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland. The combination of those moves still has Boston past the tax line for next season but out from under the second apron, which gives the Celtics — who will be without Jayson Tatum for, at minimum, a significant portion of next season because of an Achilles tear — more flexibility moving forward.
Getting under the second apron is important as that threshold, once exceeded, limits the ways that teams can trade for or sign players.
On Wednesday morning, Porziņģis took to X and posted the following regarding the reported swap: “Boston will always be special in my heart. Huge thank you to the organization, coaches, staff, my teammates and the fans. Class organization. Forever grateful.”
Boston will always be special in my heart.
Huge thank you to the organization, coaches, staff, my teammates and the fans!
Class organization. Forever grateful. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/z1KhKocN1I— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) June 25, 2025
Porziņģis — who, like Holiday, was part of the team that helped Boston win the 2024 NBA title — will make $30.7 million next season on an expiring contract. He was slowed by illness at times in the second half of this past season, as well as in Boston’s playoff run this spring. But he intends to play for Latvia at EuroBasket this summer, a good sign.
“Thanks for all the support and questions about my health,” Porziņģis posted on social media this week. “I’ve been feeling excellent all offseason and look forward to a healthy and strong European championship tournament.”
Porziņģis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 42 games this season. He shot a career-best 41.2% on 3-pointers in 2024-25 and joins a lineup in Atlanta that includes All-Star guard Trae Young, Kia Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels, forward Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher (the No. 1 overall pick in 2024).
The Nets now technically have five picks in Wednesday’s first round. They own the Nos. 8, 19, 26 and 27 selections already, and the Hawks will essentially be picking for the Nets now at No. 22, as well.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
