In the NBA offseason the Celtics must trade one player.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the 2023–24 NBA title, and they seem to be a solid club going into the next campaign.

Along with other supporting cast members that mesh well with their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston boasts a solid core of players who have all signed long-term contracts.

Things aren’t exactly ideal, though. A player who has been a valuable member of the Celtics squad could perhaps be traded because of budgetary constraints.

Kristaps Porzingis committed to a multi-year, around $60 million contract in 2023, which would keep him with the Celtics through the 2025–2026 campaign.

Porzingis has a two-year contract left before he becomes a free agent, so the Celtics will probably have to pay a hefty price to keep him around beyond 2025–2026.

It makes more sense for the Celtics to sell Porzingis while they can receive something in return for him if they don’t want to keep him around or don’t think his market value would justify paying that much.

The Celtics front management may decide to hold onto Porzingis for the remainder of his deal if they believe he is essential to winning and agree that losing him in free agency would probably be pointless.

They would be better off getting ready for life without Porzingis, though, if they believe the team can flourish without him. The nearer he goes to free agency, the fewer opportunities teams will have to give up to sign him.

The team would be better off looking for a trade partner and receiving some assets in return if they were going to let him go without making a real attempt to keep him.

It would be wiser for them to deal him now, in the offseason, rather than waiting until the January trading deadline.

The more time the Celtics hold off on dealing Porzingis, the more his contract depreciates and loses value. After all, the team that signs him in the middle of the season will only be able to use his talents for a shorter period of time before needing to pay a hefty salary to keep the star around for the long run.

As a result, trading Porzingis this offseason for a player who better matches the team’s long-term goals and budgetary flexibility makes the most sense.

Get more related news at sportviewers.com