How Brad Stevens Views Kristaps Porzingis’ Long-Term Future With Celtics

Brad Stevens expressed excitement over the Celtics’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis, which might signal how the president of basketball operations views the 27-year-old’s future in Boston.

Stevens held a post-NBA draft news conference following a Thursday night where the Celtics made multiple trades that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would be proud of. The Green came away with Jordan Walsh with the No. 38 pick, but the focus was on the three-team blockbuster that was finalized Friday morning.

Boston acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards and traded away Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies. Stevens expressed the franchise’s gratitude for Smart’s nine-year tenure in Boston but felt Porzingis fit the vision the Celtics were seeking.

“You’ve heard me talk about our playing big, playing long,” Stevens told reporters, per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “Kristaps can play with any combination of our players. He can play with (Robert Williams), he can play with Al (Horford), he can play as a standalone 5. He has just gotten better and better and better. You see what he was doing this year, and I thought the games that we played against him and the games that I watched with the most intent against other teams, I thought he just had really taken another step, too.”

The Celtics are “far from done” from making more deals, according to Robb on Thursday. But Smart’s presence in the locker room as a cultural leader of the team will be felt, and it will be up to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to pick up those pieces.

Boston was working against the clock Wednesday night because that was the deadline for Porzingis to pick up his $36 million player option. It’s possible the eight-year big man is a premium rental for the Celtics to win a title next season, but that might not be the plan for the Green.

“We hope so,” Stevens told reporters when asked about an extension. “You know, we’ll see how that stuff all works itself out. but he’s a guy that we think can certainly be a really good player. He’s been a really good player this far and has only gotten better. I think to me, that’s the part that really stands out. Sometimes when you’re the fourth pick in the draft and get all these accolades and all this attention and all these eyes and you’re going through your growth process, there’s some ups and downs. But he’s at a point where he’s starting to, I think, really play at his best I’ve seen. So we hope so.”

If Porzingis is able to stay healthy and show he’s a clear fit, then the Celtics should re-sign him. The upcoming restrictions to the salary cap would behoove Boston to work out a long-term, low-money deal, but that all will be dependent on how Porzingis plays in his first season in Boston.