Fri, Jun 23, 2023 at 4:00pm

PORZINGIS PICKED UP BY BOSTON

In a three-team trade, the Boston Celtics acquired forward/center Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards, and a first-round draft pick in 2023 (No. 25 overall) and a first-round draft pick in 2024 from the Memphis Grizzlies; Memphis acquired guard Marcus Smart from the Celtics; and Washington acquired guard Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies, and forward/centers Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, and a second-round draft pick in 2023 (No. 35 overall) from the Celtics.

What does it give the Boston Celtics
The Celtics are shaking up their roster after their Eastern Conference finals loss to Miami. Smart, who was the team's starting point guard, exits in place of Porzingis. The seven-footer will probably give Boston more scoring and more size in the starting lineup, but can he stay healthy? The draft picks help minimize the loss of Smart, who was important for Boston.

What does it give the Memphis Grizzlies
For the Grizzlies, this trade is important for the team's aspirations to go deeper in the playoffs. Smart is an outstanding defender and leader, so look for him to take over point guard duties during Ja Morant's 25-game suspension to begin 2023-24. Upon Morant's return, Smart will likely slide over to the shooting guard position. This is a good deal for the Grizz at this time.

What does it give the Washington Wizards
The Wizards are stripping it down and starting over to some extent. Bradley Beal is likely to be shipped to Phoenix and now Porzingis is headed to Beantown. The key to the deal from a Washington perspective is clearly Jones, who is good enough to be a starting point guard in the NBA (but was never going to get that shot behind Morant in Memphis).

Fantasy impact
Porzingis enters Boston as the third scoring option behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, though the latter is rumored to be headed out of town. Porzingis is a risky fantasy proposition because of his lengthy injury history. Jones could be the big winner in this trade, as he should now be able to run the offense in D.C. Smart provides fantasy owners with a little bit of everything, but it remains to be seen if Memphis will ask him to become more of a scorer. Still, he is a solid fantasy option. Gallinari and Muscala may or may not be part of Washington's future, so they are not recommendable now.