Celtics-Grizzlies-Wizards trade grades: Instant reaction with Smart, Porziņģis on the move

A few hours after one three-team deal fell apart and the Washington Wizards were up against Kristaps Porziņģis’ player option deadline, the Boston Celtics finally managed to get their big man upgrade … and are saying goodbye to Marcus Smart.

This trade has Porziņģis, the 25th pick in Thursday’s draft and a 2024 first-round pick (via Golden State) heading to Boston; Smart going to the Memphis Grizzlies; and the Wizards adding Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala and the 35th pick in Thursday’s draft.

Earlier in the day, the thinking was that Porziņģis was heading to Boston, with Malcolm Brogdon going to the Clippers and Washington receiving Marcus Morris Sr. and the 30th pick in the draft. The trade fell apart, and it’s believed to be over Brogdon’s injury status, as first reported by NBA reporter Marc Stein.

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ESPN and The Boston Globe first reported the details of the revamped three-team deal.

Now that the dust has settled (we think), let’s bust out the red ink!

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Boston Celtics acquire Kristaps Porzingis, 25th pick in 2023 and a 2024 first-round pick

What are the Celtics’ plans for Porziņģis? That was my initial thought when it came to seeing this trade news. Is this a short-term play, or will we see an extension offered that may lower his salary after this season but gives him long-term security? The fit for Porziņģis in the frontcourt has a lot of potential, but we often feel that way with Porziņģis. He’s extremely tall, has a great wingspan, he’s pretty nimble, and he’s exceptionally skilled for a 7-foot-3 man.

Look at his numbers after leaving Dallas. In 82 games with the Wizards, Porzingis averaged 22.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks with 49.3/38.2/85.5 shooting splits. That’s good for 62.2 percent true shooting. That’s incredibly efficient. He’s become a pretty solid rebounder, he can rim protect some, and he has a great outside shot.

Fitting that into what the Celtics do isn’t hard. It means Al Horford (37) can take a step back in the rotation if needed, or he can play alongside Porziņģis when Robert Williams III isn’t available. They could also bring Porziņģis off the bench as a super sixth man next to Brogdon.

They can run the offense through him in the second unit, or he can play third fiddle to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as an expert pick-and-pop option. He can camp in the corner and spread the floor. And defensively, he can be a nice rim-protecting presence as long as he’s able to take the physical toll of being in a pretty tough and active defensive system.

The Celtics have options, as long as Porziņģis is healthy, and that’s the part that could worry you. Since the ACL injury that cost him well over 100 games from 2017 to 2019, Porziņģis has missed 95 games in four seasons. That’s a lot of missed time. On a one-year rental, even at $36 million, it’s a risk you can take with the depth the Celtics have.

That they upgraded 10 spots in this draft and got a first-round pick in next year’s draft is pretty ridiculous.

Grade: A

Memphis Grizzlies acquire Marcus Smart

With Jones on the way out and the Grizzlies knowing Ja Morant will miss the first 25 games next season, they did pretty well for themselves. Remember that Dillon Brooks is not coming back under any circumstances, so the Grizzlies needed some help in the backcourt. Smart is a great upgrade at the guard position, especially once Morant is back. He can be a dog defensively but not in a way that ends up hurting the team.

Smart is a solid offensive option who can run pick-and-rolls. He can run whatever Memphis wants to do while Morant is gone, then play next to him with ease when everything is back to normal. It hurts giving up their first-round pick and a future pick along with Jones, but the Grizzlies have a chance to be a lot more stable when the dust settles. Smart has three more years on his contract, so they’re not in danger of losing him anytime soon.

They gave up a lot, but this is still a solid trade.

Grade: B

Washington Wizards acquire Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, the 35th pick in the 2023 draft

I absolutely hated what the Wizards did in agreeing to trade Bradley Beal. I had no problem with the decision to move him, but the return was subpar at best. They have to pray things fall apart whenever the pick swaps come into the mix for them and Phoenix. Or maybe they grab a decent player with the second-round picks they got.

This deal is technically better but still confusing. I liked it better earlier in the day when it looked like Washington would get the 30th pick from LA, but let’s examine.

Jones is an interesting pickup, and the Wizards are getting the 35th pick in the draft. Maybe they don’t know they’re allowed to ask for first-round picks in trades. Jones is arguably the best backup point guard in basketball, and there were some whispers last month that maybe he wanted to move on from Memphis for a chance to start. He’ll get that chance with the Wizards because he immediately becomes the best point guard on the roster (let’s presume Chris Paul is moved elsewhere). No offense to Monté Morris, who is an excellent backup.

Jones is brilliant at running a team: high assists, low turnovers, and he can score a little too. He competes on defense, but he’s undersized. He’s going to be a nice player for the Wizards for as long as they have him, but he might be a movable asset by the trade deadline. He has one year left on his deal, and then he’s a free agent. I still don’t understand how the Wizards have acquired zero first-round picks (swaps don’t count) by trading their two best players, regardless of contract or no-trade clause situations. If Jones leaves next summer or they don’t trade him, this becomes a worse trade for them. Boston getting the picks the Wizards should have received makes no sense.

Grade: C