On Wednesday afternoon, word broke that the Celtics were engaged in talks to land Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards, as the star big man had until the end of the day to make a decision on his player option. Shortly after, things had escalated to where a three-team deal seemed imminent, with the Clippers entering the fray to bring Malcolm Brogdon to L.A. and send the 30th pick in Thursday’s Draft to Washington (among other moving parts).
However, after a few hours, nothing had been completed and Porzingis was not yet officially a Celtic. With just 90 minutes left until his player option decision was needed, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the trade had “fallen apart” and the three teams were moving on in different directions.
The three-team talks on a Porzingis-Brogdon deal with Celtics, Wizards and Clippers have fallen apart, sources tell ESPN. Sides are moving on. https://t.co/WoNkOcTYe5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2023
According to Marc Stein, Brogdon’s injury was the main sticking point in the three-team deal, with the Clippers apparently concerned about his health moving forward.
Concerns raised by the Clippers about Malcolm Brogdon's injury status, league sources say, led to the collapse of the three-team trade expected to send Kristaps Porzingis to Boston before midnight tonight.
A direct Wizards/Celtics deal has not been ruled out.
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2023
It’s rare for a deal to be talked about this publicly and end up falling apart. We knew the major players who were involved and the main pick as well, but for whatever reason the three teams could not all get on the same page in time to make the blockbuster deal happen. Now comes the fascinating part, where Boston and Washington have 90 minutes to salvage a deal that sends Porzingis to the Celtics, but without Brogdon getting routed to the Clippers.
The Wizards are still working on ways to get Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics in an opt-in and trade scenario, but it won't be in a three-way with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN. Porzingis still has the ability to decline his $36 million player option and become a free agent.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2023
The same mechanics could still work, but Boston doesn’t have the same draft capital to send to the Wizards for this year that L.A. was able to send with the 30th pick. Brogdon and Gallinari work financially, but it’s not clear what the two sides can agree on in terms of draft compensation and whether Washington will likewise have injury concerns about Brogdon. The Clippers, meanwhile, have to go back to searching for a point guard on the market, which ironically might bring them back to the Wizards to try and get involved in the Chris Paul trade.
