The Boston Celtics have not been willing to meet the New York Knicks' trade demands for Kristaps Porzings with the NBA Draft just hours away, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN's Marc Stein added that the Celtics are still looking to put a package together to pry away the Knicks' young star:
During a TV interview Thursday night, Knicks executive Phil Jackson suggested he could consider moving Porzingis for "two starters and a draft pick or something that's even beyond that." Wojnarowski has reported the Knicks like draft prospect Josh Jackson -- and that they aren't the only team with eyes on moving into the top-four to pick the Kansas product.
At No. 3, the Celtics might have the best pick potentially in play. Almost everybody expects the Philadelphia 76ers to take Markelle Fultz at No. 1 and the Los Angeles Lakers to follow by naming Lonzo Ball the second overall selection.
Assuming the top-two picks unfold as expected, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge still holds all the cards for potential trades. He has enough future assets to chase a big name like Porzingis. He could trade down to cut a bit of salary, pick up a player the Celtics still like, and continue adding to the chest of future draft picks. Or he could sit tight at No. 3 and take the best prospect available. If the Celtics stand pat, the choice could come down to Jackson or Jayson Tatum, but anyone outside the organization who claims to know is guessing.
Porzingis, 21, is exactly the type of player the Celtics should target: young, productive, cheap, and talented enough he could one day turn into a transcendent type of player. Even if he falls shy of that lofty status, he's a 7-foot-3 center who sinks 3-pointers and block shots -- he'd help the Celtics right away and give them a potential superstar under team control for the foreseeable future.
All of that is why the Knicks should be asking the moon for Porzingis, if they're crazy enough to really shop him.