Celtics

“The Celtics once dreamed of pairing Irving with Anthony Davis.”

Both Kristaps Porzingis and Kyrie Irving seem content on their respective teams.

While Irving has thrived in Dallas as a veteran presence and No. 2 scoring option behind Luka Doncic, Porzingis has served as the missing piece on the Celtics’ roster thanks to his rim protection and versatile offensive skillset.

But at one point, both star talents were reportedly nearly traded for one another when Irving was still with Boston, according to Yahoo Sports’ senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer. 

In Fischer’s latest piece detailing how both Irving and Porzingis landed in their respective spots in Dallas and Boston, he reports there were legitimate conversations between the Celtics and the Knicks (Porzingis’ team at the time) on a potential swap during the 2018-19 season. 

“… as Irving’s second Celtics season drifted closer to the All-Star break — which brought us that hallway footage of Irving and Kevin Durant joining forces — Irving started sharing candid thoughts with members of the franchise about his lack of faith in Boston’s direction,” Fischer wrote. “The Celtics once dreamed of pairing Irving with Anthony Davis. 

“But come late January, when New York’s front office began to quietly pursue deals to move on from Porzingis, the Celtics and Knicks even held tangible dialogue about swapping Irving for the 7-foot-2 sharpshooter, league sources told Yahoo Sports, before the Mavericks swooped in and sent a package headlined by two first-round picks to New York.”

Ultimately, the Celtics didn’t get anything of value for Irving, who walked in free agency to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

Porzingis did not play the entire 2018-19 season while recovering from a torn ACL, so his addition at the time wouldn’t have improved a Celtics team that ultimately floundered in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

While Irving’s exit that offseason temporarily put Boston’s contention window in peril, all parties seem to have made the most of the past few years.

The Celtics have built a sustainable contending team behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and others, while Irving seems to have found the perfect spot for himself in Dallas after a rocky end with the Nets.