Report: Celtics offered Jaylen Brown for Kristaps Porzingis in 2017
By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Celtics reportedly offered a trade package for former Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis in 2017, before the 7-footer blew out his ACL the following season.
The New York Post published a report Friday detailing the fractured relationship between Porzingis and the Knicks that eventually led to his trade to the Dallas Mavericks last season. According to the reporter, Marc Berman, former Knicks President Phil Jackson began soliciting trade offers for Porzingis in 2017, leading up to the draft.
That’s when the Celtics reportedly tried to make a deal happen and it sounds like Jaylen Brown could have been at the center of that offer.
“The Celtics offered a trove of assets, including Jaylen Brown, in a scenario under which the Knicks could move up and select future Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen,” Berman wrote.
But the deal never came to fruition. According to Berman, Knicks owner James Dolan may have stopped the trade from happening.
“Some in the league believe Jackson didn’t make the trade on orders from owner James Dolan,” Berman added.
If that is true, it turns out the Knicks made a colossal mistake. Porzingis would go on to injure his knee in February of 2018 and was traded for pennies on the dollar the next year.
Looking back on it, it’s safe to say the Celtics are probably happy the deal didn’t go through, if that offer was actually made.
You can hear Matt McCarthy on various 98.5 The Sports Hub programs. Follow him on Twitter @MattMcCarthy985.
