By admin 
When it came to obtaining Kristaps Porzingis in a trade with the Wizards last week, the Celtics were under a time crunch. For Boston to have a chance to sign him, he needed to exercise a $36 million player option with the Wizards by midnight on June 22nd. Finally, an indirect looming threat from a familiar face aided the team in reaching an agreement with Washington.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Utah Jazz are “poised” to make a substantial offer to Porzingis if he declines his player option with Washington and becomes an unrestricted free agent.
If Porzingis had gone that path, the Celtics would not have been able to sign the former All-Star (a sign-and-trade would not have been possible under the apron/hard cap). However, it was clear that the Wizards were concerned about losing Porzingis in free agency for no compensation, according to Stein. Even after an initial three-team structure broke apart with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the franchise remained driven to reach an agreement with Boston.
It’s unclear how Porzingis would have fit in the Jazz frontcourt alongside a pair of potential big men in Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen, but Danny Ainge has demonstrated that he’s not afraid to purchase low on free agents or trade assets during a rebuild. During the Celtics’ renovation last decade, he secured Evan Turner, Isaiah Thomas, and others on cheap agreements, which resulted in encouraging outcomes on the court ahead of time. The Jazz had up to $47 million in salary space to spend this summer, so they were a serious threat to make a huge offer to Porzingis if he reached the market.
Instead, their looming presence as a danger may have aided the Celtics in landing the big man who reportedly chose Boston this offseason.