— their longest-tenured member, a driver on five trips to the Eastern Conference finals and the only guard this century to win Defensive Player of the Year — for Kristaps Porzingis, a tantalizing 7-foot-3 talent, gives them a better shot at the NBA championship, and that'sThere are reasons on paper this trade makes sense for the Celtics.
Porzingis is coming off a career season at age 27 for the Washington Wizards, averaging 23.2 points , 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 combined blocks and steals in 32.6 minutes per game. Smart averaged a far less efficient 11.5 points and a team-high 6.3 assists a game. All three may meaningfully improve their new teams in aspects the others could not. The Celtics also secured the only two first-round draft picks that moved in the trade — the No. 25 selection on Thursday and a top-four protected selection from the Golden State Warriors next year . To net a player who better fits your roster ,But assets alone do not win championships. You need competitiveness. You need character. You need grit. You need grind.