The Boston Celtics arguably have the most fascinating offseason of any team in the NBA. Derailed by Jayson Tatum's devastating injury and pressured by the looming salary cap crisis, the Celtics will have to make tough calls on their key players. It's safe to assume that at least one of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown will be elsewhere to begin the 2025-26 season.
Holiday and Porzingis are the two likeliest Celtics to be traded this summer. Holiday's age-related concerns and KP's health issues make potential deals tricky, but both players are still difference-makers when healthy. This should create a market for each player, and all it takes is one team to be interested to make a deal work.
One potential landing spot for Porzingis is the New Orleans Pelicans. They desperately need a rim protector, and it's hard to find a better fit next to Zion Williamson than Porzingis. KP can provide the spacing on one end and the rim protection on the other to help the Pelicans get back to winning ways.
A Porzingis-to-Pelicans deal could also help bring former Celtics fan favorite Kelly Olynyk back to Boston.
While Olynyk is not an impactful player at this point in his career, the Celtics also acquire Herb Jones, one of the best wing defenders in the league, in this deal. Jones missed most of last season with an injury, but when he is healthy, he is a true difference-maker on the defensive end, being able to guard all five positions. Plus, he is on a team-friendly deal that pays him $13.9 million for next season.
To make this deal sweeter for New Orleans, the Celtics also send them their 32nd-overall pick in this year's draft.
Even though Boston loses one of their key starters, they get cheaper, add a fan favorite, and land an elite defender, all with one trade. If the Celtics can get a deal remotely close to this type of value for Porzingis, they should pull the trigger.