NBA Trade Grades: Celtics send Kristaps Porziņģis to Hawks in 3-team deal with Nets

The Boston Celtics have traded two key pieces of their 2024 title run in less than 24 hours. First, they sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, and now Kristaps Porziņģis is reportedly headed to the Atlanta Hawks.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Hawks, Celtics and Brooklyn Nets are finalizing a three-team swap that nets Atlanta Porziņģis and a second-round pick. Boston receives veteran forward Georges Niang and a second-rounder in what's effectively a salary dump.

Brooklyn gets swingman Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft via the Hawks for playing facilitator, Charania adds. The Nets now have an absurd five first-round selections this year (Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27). They also add a solid wing with playoff experience who can do a little bit of everything in Mann.

Kristaps Porziņģis lands in Atlanta in 3-team Celtics, Nets, Hawks trade

Everyone got what they wanted (to some extent) in this interesting, multifaceted agreement between a trio of Eastern Conference rivals. But let's start with the Hawks, since they reeled in the big fish in Porziņģis.

Like the Orlando Magic, and the Blazers in the West, albeit to a lesser degree, the Hawks smell blood in the water. The last two East champions -- Boston and the Indiana Pacers -- will be without their franchise centerpieces, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, respectively. Both players suffered a torn Achilles tendon during this past campaign's playoffs, which has given others hope, as unfortunate as that may sound.

Porziņģis' arrival ostensibly marks the end of pending free agent Clint Capela's time in Atlanta and an upgrade at the center position. Onyeka Okongwu is still their big man of the future, but KP is a more intriguing short-term platoon mate. The Hawks suddenly have a dynamic one-two punch with varying skill sets at the five spot.

Okongwu is a fluid athlete who holds his own in the paint on both ends of the floor and can switch onto guards if needed. Conversely, Porziņģis gives Hawks All-Star floor general Trae Young a lethal 7-foot-2 pick-and-pop partner with expanded range to spread the floor and protects the rims.

Atlanta took on minimal additional financial burden by acquiring Porziņģis, making this an easy move for them. He's on an expiring deal $30.7 million too, which makes him easy to flip at the trade deadline if things don't pan out. Alternatively, the Hawks can let the Latvian standout walk to clear cap space if that's the route they prefer to take.

On paper, Boston looks much less intimidating than it did before parting ways with Holiday and Porziņģis. Nonetheless, they did themselves a massive favor by essentially deeming 2025-26 a gap year. The Celtics dodged the dreaded second apron and halved their $500 million payroll projection, including luxury taxes, with two smooth transactions (h/t The Third Apron's Yossi Gozlan).

With Tatum sidelined for most (if not all) of next season, the Celtics are taking a forward-thinking approach and better positioning themselves for his return. Breaking up a group that hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy roughly 12 months ago may feel wrong, but it's hard to fault Boston. They looked at themselves in the mirror and came to terms with the reality of their situation, handling it appropriately and promptly.

Anyone who tells you they know what this means for Brooklyn is lying. The Nets are a blank canvas and hard to get a read on. Yet, they now have six of the top 27 picks in a strong draft class.

Does Brooklyn bring in five rookies this summer? It's possible, considering they currently only have six players under contract for next season, excluding club option guys and two-way guard wing Tosan Evbuomwan. Do the Nets package their abundance of assets to move up the board or cash in for a better bargaining chip down the road? This franchise has so much flexibility; it's just a matter of how general manager Sean Marks wants to move forward.

Regardless, Brooklyn is the student who gets an "A" on the group projects for doing diddly-squat. Mann's three-year, $47 million pact is set to kick in this season, but that's a fine price for a proven reserve and capable fill-in starter. His $15.66 million average annual value isn't much higher than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception next season ($14.1 million). It'll also be less than the NTMLE following two years.

Celtics trade grade: B-
Hawks trade grade: B+
Nets trade grade: A