Last offseason, Kristaps Porzingis was traded by the Washington Wizards to the Boston Celtics where he picked up his $36 million player option and then signed a two-year, $60 million extension.

If Porzingis would have become a free agent, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that he was positioned to receive a richer contract from the Utah Jazz.

Porzingis would have joined a versatile frontcourt partner in Lauri Markkanen.

Porzingis instead joined the Celtics and is in The Finals where he is a floor spacer and post option while also protecting the rim on the other end of the floor.

Ahead of the 2019 trade deadline, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics discussed a trade centered on Kristaps Porzingis for Kyrie Irving, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Irving's discontent with the Celtics was becoming apparent and he was strongly linked with an eventual paring with Kevin Durant.

Porzingis was set to enter restricted free agency and the Knicks were pivoting to a plan that they expected would include Durant and possibly Irving.

The Knicks instead traded Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that included two future first round picks. Porzingis signed a max deal with the Mavericks before playing in a single game, while Irving and Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets. After disappointing stints with their respective teams, Irving was eventually traded to the Mavericks in 2023, while Porzingis was traded to the Wizards in 2022 and then the Celtics in 2023.

The Boston Celtics are exploring the idea of Jeff Van Gundy joining Joe Mazzulla's coaching staff as an assistant next season, league sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Van Gundy is currently working with the team as a senior consultant on the basketball operations side.

The Celtics are losing top assistant Charles Lee to the Hornets this offseason.

Van Gundy turned down a role on Jason Kidd's staff last summer. 

Host Danny Leroux and Keith Smith of Spotrac discuss the NBA Finals and offseason.

They discuss how the Celtics and Mavericks match up and how the series could go plus how the new CBA changes the timing of the NBA offseason.

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Kristaps Porzingis fully participated in the Boston Celtics' practice on Saturday, according to Joe Mazzulla.

Mazzulla did not reveal whether he would insert Porzingis into the starting lineup for Game 1.

"When KP's at his best, he's been tremendous for us. We expect that from him, and we know he'll give that to us. And as far as everything else, just what goes into winning is the most important thing.

"What gives us the best chance to win each particular game, each particular possession and each particular matchup," said Mazzulla.

Porzingis has missed the last 10 playoff games due to a calf strain.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals starts on June 6.

The Boston Celtics opened as -225 favorites in the NBA Finals at ESPN BET.

The Mavs, who started the season with 25-1 odds of winning the title, are +185 underdogs.

Jayson Tatum is the favorite to win Finals MVP at -130, with Luka Doncic second at +200.

The odds reflect Kristaps Porzingis returning to the Celtics lineup for Game 1. 

The Boston Celtics' sweep of the Indiana Pacers averaged a 3.4 rating with 6.31 million viewers.

That number is down 15% in viewership from last year's Celtics-Heat series.

Game 4 finished with a 3.5 rating and a series-high 6.63 million viewers. 

The Celtics-Pacers series ranked as the fourth most-watched Eastern Conference Finals of the last nine years.