Celtics Make Massive Kristaps Porzingis Mistake in Latest Mock Trade Proposal

The Boston Celtics are going through a difficult time. After losing five out of their last nine games, the Celtics are now 4.5 games behind the Eastern Conference leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As a result, Celtics fans started to work the trade machine to try to upgrade the roster to increase their chances of a repeat. Not every attempt to upgrade the roster does what it intends to do, however.

Matt Levine of Sports Illustrated was the latest to come up with a mock trade proposal. In this scenario, the Celtics send Kristaps Porzingis to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade that brings them Nikola Vucevic and Torrey Craig back from the Bulls.

Even though frustrations about Porzingis' injury concerns and availability are completely understandable, this trade proposal would be disastrous for the Celtics.

On the surface, Vucevic is a more reliable, less injury-prone big man. He can shoot and score in a variety of ways but he is nowhere near the two-way player Porzingis is.

What makes the Celtics a special team is the fact that they can play five-out offensively while not playing any defensive liabilities on the other end of the floor. Porzingis is the best rim protector on the team and his ability to anchor a defense is a huge part of the elite Celtics defense.

Vucevic is one of the worst defensive centers in the league. He is slow-footed and struggles to get out on the perimeter, making him a bad switching option. He also doesn't have the length and physicality to be a deterrent in the paint. Going from Porzingis to Vucevic may not be a big downgrade offensively but it significantly lowers Celtics' defensive ceiling.

The Celtics should be hesitant to make a trade just to make a move. This one certainly falls under that category.

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