As the Atlanta Hawks looked to retool their roster around Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, they made what was thought to be a low-risk, high-reward acquisition.
Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Hawks struck a deal with the Boston Celtics to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. All Atlanta had to give up was Georges Niang, Terance Mann, a first-round pick that became Drake Powell and a 2031 second-round pick.
Porzingis was recently a core piece of the Celtics 2024 championship team. He was traded to Atlanta to help Boston get under the second apron threshold.
The Hawks knew the risks associated with trading for Porzingis. His availability was an issue despite his talent. However, the fit with Young was obvious, and Atlanta wanted to take advantage of a weakened Eastern Conference.
As the NBA season approached, Porzingis revealed that he was doing well physically.
“It was good for me to have EuroBasket to get back in shape and rhythm for me. I look forward to heading into this season in shape. I feel fantastic right now,” he said.
Low Risk
It was well understood that Porzingis would have availability issues. What made him an enticing trade acquisition was his $30.7 million expiring contract. There was no pressure to commit long-term to him, and Atlanta could see how he fit with the current roster.
Hawks General Manager Onsi Saleh exuded confidence that Porzingis could stay healthy.
“We’re super confident in Kristaps’ health and him playing a healthy season,” he said.
When he did play for Atlanta this season, Porzingis was impactful. Unfortunately, putting on the Hawks uniform was a rare occasion for him.
The sample size is small, but Porzingis was the most impactful player on the Hawks in the games he did play. He is in the 97th percentile (+4.6) in Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM). The stat estimates a player’s impact on a team’s points per 100 possessions. For reference, MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+9.4) and Nikola Jokic (+9.3) are the top two players in this category— Porzingis ranks 12th.
In just 17 games this season, Porzingis averaged 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. His shooting splits this season were very similar to his career averages. His effective field goal percentage (53.1%) is slightly higher than his career average of 52.5%.
Because he was often out of the lineup, Porzingis averaged a career-low 24.3 minutes per game and lost his starting role to Onyeka Okongwu. Before this season, Porzingis had only come off the bench once. He came off the bench in five of his 17 games played this season.
Did Not Go as Planned
The Hawks’ roster did a complete reset within just one month. Porzingis entered the fold alongside Young in July, only for the franchise to go in a different direction by January. Moreover, his last game played for Atlanta was on Jan. 7— almost one month before the trade deadline.
After the trade, Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder admitted that Porzingis’ availability became an issue.
“Kristaps wasn’t as available as we thought he’d be,” he said.
In the end, the Hawks get something in return for Porzingis rather than letting his contract expire. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors ahead of the trade deadline. Jonathan Kuminga is a wild card who is also just 23. He hasn’t played for the Warriors since Jan. 22 and has been a DNP-CD for most of the season. Atlanta can take a flyer on his upside while also adding another sharpshooter in Buddy Hield.
Not a Long-Term Piece
If the trade was any indication, Porzingis was not in the long-term plans for Atlanta. While his injuries and lack of availability were a concern, he was simply no longer a fit with the Hawks group.
There will likely be questions about his future beyond this season. Given his lack of availability and injury history, Porzingis might not command a massive market this summer.
Last season, Porzingis dealt with a “mystery illness.” He was later diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (P.O.T.S). It causes Porzingis’ heart rate to spike rapidly, among other symptoms. This issue could impact his future as the Warriors take on his expiring deal for the rest of the season.
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