The top two centers on last season’s Celtics depth chart are about to become teammates in Golden State.
The Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement Wednesday night to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors for guard Buddy Hield and disgruntled forward Jonathan Kuminga, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
The move reunites Porzingis with veteran big man Al Horford, who left the Celtics last summer to sign with the Warriors. Boston traded Porzingis to Atlanta during the same offseason roster overhaul, but injuries and illness limited him to 17 games for the Hawks. He did not dress for either of the team’s games against the Celtics.
Porzingis and Horford played two seasons together in Boston and were key pieces of the Celtics’ 2023-24 championship team. They won’t have to wait long to see their former squad, as the C’s are set to visit Golden State on Feb. 19 in both teams’ first game back from the NBA All-Star break.
The Warriors’ lone visit to TD Garden this season is on March 18. Horford, who spent seven of the last nine seasons in Boston, told the Herald earlier this week that game will “feel like home.”
It also would be Porzingis’ first return to Causeway Street if he is healthy enough to make the trip. He did not travel for Atlanta’s 117-106 win in Boston last Wednesday while he recovered from Achilles tendonitis.
“He’s been tremendous for us when he’s been able to play, and no one wants to be out there more than he does,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said at the time. “It’s not hard to find his impact when you just look at the analytics. I mean, we’re significantly better with him on the floor.”
The Hawks outscored opponents by 49 points over Porzingis’ 413 minutes, and his plus-5.8 net rating was the best of all Atlanta regulars. His 25.4 points per 36 minutes this season are a tick higher than what he averaged in Boston, though his shooting and rebounding numbers have dipped. But he has not played since Jan. 7 and has made just five appearances since the start of December.
The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.
