Extension Incoming? Celtics Arrival ‘Easy Decision’ For Kristaps Porzingis

BRIGHTON — The Boston Celtics clearly had an interest in trading for Kristaps Porzingis this offseason, reportedly agreeing to two separate deals before finally landing the Latvian center.

The decision to add him wasn’t completely up to the Celtics, however.

Porzingis was coming up to the deadline of his $36 million player option when the deal was finalized on June 22, choosing to opt in and avoid free agency to make the deal possible. Though it’s easy to understand a player accepting a trade out of Washington, the idea of joining Boston, specifically, made it a no-brainer for Porzingis.

“I was very excited when I first heard the news,” Porzingis said at his introductory press conference Thursday. “It was a pretty easy decision for me. There’s not much else to say.”

“It was a pretty easy decision for me. There’s not much else to say.”

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis’ camp reportedly made it very clear to Celtics brass that the 7-foot-3 center was interested in remaining a member of Boston’s roster for years to come. As both sides approach July 6, when they can officially agree on a two-year, $77 million extension, it feels as though it is only a matter of time until Porzingis is locked in for the long haul.

“We really like Kristaps,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Thursday. “We want him here. Obviously, we have him next year and hopefully beyond, but we’ll see with all of that.”

The decision to extend Porzingis, along with the expected super-max extension of Jaylen Brown, is expected to push the Celtics even further into the tax, but that doesn’t sound like it will be an issue.

The decision to extend Porzingis’ contract isn’t already made, but doing so before the season would be a gesture of trust in the big man from the Celtics’ front office. Boston is trying to build a champion, and its belief is that Porzingis will help them be just that.