Brad Stevens Reveals Impactful Moment Behind ‘Risky’ Celtics Trade

Kristaps Porzingis made quite an impression on Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens last season, long before the 7-foot-2 center joined Boston in an offseason trade involving Marcus Smart.

Porzingis, then with the Wizards, totaled 32 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as Washington defeated Boston 130-111 on March 28. The performance showcased Porzingis’ unique skill set, which Stevens witnessed firsthand in the nation’s capital and clearly coveted over the summer when shuffling Boston’s roster for the 2023-24 campaign.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don’t know how you would want to put it, I was at the game last year, on the road with our team, when we got drummed in Washington,” Stevens told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in a piece published Thursday. “He was a big reason for it. … Seeing that in person had an impact.”

Of course, it would’ve been difficult to envision Porzingis in a Celtics uniform at that point. Boston entered the playoffs as a legitimate championship contender, and a successful triumph in the 2023 NBA Finals probably would’ve changed the calculus, especially if Smart played a pivotal role.

The Celtics took their licks against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, though, rallying from a 3-0 deficit before faltering in Game 7. Something needed to change. And Stevens thus pounced on the opportunity to acquire Porzingis in a three-team blockbuster that shook Boston to its core.

“This was risky,” Stevens told Shelburne. “But as (former Celtics assistant coach) Jay Larranaga used to tell me, ‘If we’re not trying to improve, we’ll stop being good.’ “

The jury remains out on the Porzingis trade, if only because it’s championship or bust for the Celtics this season, but he so far looks like a real game-changer for Boston.

Good thing Stevens traveled to D.C.