After agreeing on Monday night to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland, Boston continues to explore potential Kristaps Porzingis trades, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says the Celtics are determined to get positive value for Porzingis and get younger in the process, like they did with the Holiday deal.
In addition to reiterating that the Suns have done due diligence on Porzingis, Fischer identifies the Spurs as one of the teams with some level of interest in the Celtics big man. Fischer cautions that San Antonio may be a long shot to acquire Porzingis, but it certainly seems as if the club will be in the market for frontcourt help, having also been linked to Guerschon Yabusele this week.
According to Fischer, there has been some chatter about the Spurs potentially eyeing a big man with their second lottery pick (No. 14), or even trying to move up from that spot to add more size.
The Bulls, meanwhile, aren’t pursuing Porzingis, but there have been some rival teams wondering if they might do so, Fischer writes, explaining that Chicago is being “increasingly mentioned in connection with various big men.” The Bulls are another team considered a possible trade-up candidate from the late lottery (No. 12) in the hopes of adding a frontcourt player, Fischer adds.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- There’s an expectation that the Suns will be targeting a big man with their newly acquired No. 10 pick. Derik Queen and Danny Wolf are two of the potential targets Fischer has been told to keep an eye on at that spot.
- The Thunder, who control the 15th and 24th overall picks, are being “frequently described” as a team with interest in moving up in the draft, according to Fischer. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported something similar during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). Oklahoma City probably isn’t in position to add two first-round picks to its 15-man roster, so a deal involving one or both of those selections seems like a real possibility.
- Noting that that the Thunder talked a little to Houston about the No. 10 pick before the Rockets sent it to Phoenix, Fischer wonders if the Suns would have interest in swapping No. 10 for Nos. 15 and 24 in order to add multiple young prospects to their revamped roster.
- Fischer and Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) both report that the Rockets are exploring trade options to get back into the draft after sending their only 2025 picks (Nos. 10 and 59) to Phoenix. Sources tell Lerner that there are about five prospects, mostly projected first-round picks, that Houston is very high on, so the team could get more aggressive about trading back into the draft if one of those players starts to slide.