Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Mysterious Illness

May 17th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Rory Maher

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who is under contract for $30.7MM next season before hitting free agency in 2026, struggled mightily in the playoffs due to the lingering effects of a mysterious illness he contracted in February.

It seemed like Porzingis was mostly recovered late in the regular season, but he was particularly ineffective in Boston’s second-round loss to New York, averaging just 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds on .240/.222/.647 shooting in 15.5 minutes per game. Those numbers are a precipitous drop compared to what he posted in the regular season: 19.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.5 BPG on .483/.412/.809 shooting in 45 contests (28.8 MPG).

After the Celtics were eliminated on Friday night, Porzingis admitted he still doesn’t have any solid answers about what has been causing the “energy zaps” and stamina “ebbs and flows” over the past two-plus months.

“I’m not sure,” Porzingis said, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “I mean, doctors are trying to help as much as possible. It was just some lingering fatigue, some effects.

“It was just extremely weird, and many symptoms that were kind of super weird. So I think nobody has a clear answer. I’ll see how I go from here. Maybe I do some extra testing and some extra stuff and see if we find something. If not, maybe just a reset. Reset for my whole system and that will give my energy levels hopefully back up.”

Porzingis, who played 11 minutes on Friday, said he would have fallen asleep immediately if he had laid down in the locker room after the game, according to Adam Himmselbach of The Boston Globe.

“(It was) super, super frustrating. As frustrating as you can imagine. Just to not be able to help this team more, especially with (Jayson Tatum) going out,” Porzingis said (story via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst). “Not being too much of a help just hurts deep inside.”

“… I tried to give what I had. It wasn’t much, as you could see,” he added, per Himmelsbach.

According to Robb, Porzingis never considered sitting out after he was medically cleared by doctors, who tested his heart, among other organs. He also still plans to play for Latvia at this summer’s EuroBasket.

“The main thing for me now is just to let my system get into a normal state,” Porzingis said. “Get my energy back up and then I’ll start to look into some things maybe outside of basketball at first, and then the European Championships later in the summer, so I’m excited about that.

“So this summer I expect a nice bounce-back for myself and then heading into the next season.”

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown On Loss To Knicks: ‘Feels Like Death’

May 17th, 2025 at 8:21am CST by Rory Maher

The defending champion Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs on Friday, having been blown out by the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

“Finishing in May feels weird, it’s definitely not something we were prepared for,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who fouled out before the end of the third quarter after scoring 20 points but with seven turnovers. “Things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate.

“But we hold our head up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey.”

Boston had an unexpectedly poor start to the second-round series, losing the first two games at home after holding 20-point second-half leads in each contest. Things went from bad to worse in Game 4, when the Celtics blew another double-digit second-half lead and perennial All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum sustained a torn Achilles tendon.

While the Celtics had their chances, especially early on in the series, they were thoroughly outplayed in Game 6. Head coach Joe Mazzulla made sure to credit the Knicks for their dominant performance, Windhorst notes.

“We ran into a great team. You have to tip your hat off to the Knicks,” Mazzulla said. “They outplayed us. They played better.”

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes, the Celtics now face a summer of uncertainty due to Tatum’s injury, their extremely expensive roster, and the restrictions of the NBA’s tax aprons.

Center Kristaps Porzingis, who battled “extreme fatigue” — one of the lingering effects of a mysterious February illness that was never identified — throughout the playoffs, could be on the trading block this offseason, according to Himmselbach. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday could be in the same boat.

Himmelsbach also suggests that big man Al Horford could opt to retire. Windhorst recently reported the impending free agent hopes to re-sign with the Celtics, but that was before Tatum’s injury. Horford will turn 39 years old in early June.

But the team wasn’t thinking about the future in the immediate aftermath of the loss.

“It sucks,” guard Derrick White said. “You’ll never get this season back. You’re never going to have the exact same team again.”

New York, which entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the East, will now face No. 4 Indiana in the team’s first conference final appearance in 25 years.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Hauser, Porzingis, Pritchard

May 16th, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After undergoing surgery on his ruptured Achilles earlier this week, Jayson Tatum was out of the hospital and met with his Celtics teammates on Thursday at the team’s hotel in New York, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.

“It sucks to see someone go down like that who doesn’t deserve it,” Celtics wing Sam Hauser told reporters on Friday. “But he wouldn’t want more than us to just keep winning. We saw him yesterday. He seems to be in good spirits. Definitely thinking about him and trying to get some wins for him.”

After losing both their star player and Game 4 on Monday to fall behind 3-1 in their second-round series vs. New York, the Celtics found themselves facing long odds to advance. But they took Game 5 on Wednesday and can force a Game 7 at home if they can pull off an upset on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

While Tatum’s injury and their new underdog status has given the Celtics some added motivation to find a way to win the series, Payton Pritchard said on Friday that just getting to see their injured teammate on Thursday was an emotional lift for everyone, according to Hightower.

“We didn’t talk about basketball at all. That stuff is bigger than basketball now,” Pritchard said. “It’s seeing how he is as a person, how he’s dealing with stuff. The basketball side, we’ll handle that. But just want to check in as a friend.”

We have more on the Celtics ahead of a big Friday game:

Outside of Tatum, the Celtics have a clean injury report for Game 6, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Hauser, who returned on Wednesday and played 15 minutes after missing three games due to a sprained ankle, isn’t listed, and neither is Kristaps Porzingis, despite the fact that didn’t play in the second half of the Game 5 win as he continues to battle the lingering effects of an illness.
The Celtics have a decision to make for Game 5, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com, who argues that Porzingis should be removed from the starting lineup and should perhaps even be benched entirely due to his diminished condition. Both Al Horford and Luke Kornet look like better options in the middle right now, Robb adds.
In a separate story for MassLive.com, Robb contends that Pritchard needs to continue playing an increased role after logging a playoff-high 39 minutes on Wednesday. Even though Pritchard made just 6-of-17 shots in the Game 5 win, the team was significantly better when he was on the court, which has been a trend for much of the postseason. Boston has a +16.4 net rating and 122.9 offensive rating during the Sixth Man of the Year’s 274 playoff minutes, as opposed to marks of just +0.6 and 105.8, respectively, when he’s on the bench.

2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 16th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Jazz were among the teams who left Monday’s draft lottery disappointed, as Brooklyn slipped two spots to No. 8 while Utah, the NBA’s worst team during the 2024/25 season, ended up at No. 6.

Still, while they won’t be picking as high in the lottery as they might like, the Nets and Jazz will enter this year’s draft armed with plenty of ammunition. Brooklyn controls a league-high five 2025 draft picks, including four first-rounders and an early second-rounder. Utah, meanwhile, is one of just two teams (along with the Magic) controlling four picks in this year’s draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

Four other clubs – the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards, and Thunder – own three picks apiece, so those seven teams combine to control 25 of the 59 selections in the 2025 draft.

In addition to those teams with three or more picks, 12 more clubs own a pair of 2025 draft selections, while another 10 control one apiece. That latter group includes the Mavericks, whose No. 1 overall pick is their only selection in this year’s draft.

That leaves just a single NBA team without a draft pick this year: the Nuggets. Denver traded its 2025 first-rounder to Orlando back in 2021 as part of a package for Aaron Gordon in a deal that has worked out exceedingly well for the 2023 champions and sent out its 2025 second-rounder last offseason in a Reggie Jackson salary-dump. The Nuggets could still trade into this draft, but for now they’re the only team on track to sit it out.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2025 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 59 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Brooklyn Nets (5): 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Teams with two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers: 3, 35
Toronto Raptors: 9, 39
Houston Rockets: 10, 59
Chicago Bulls: 12, 45
Atlanta Hawks: 13, 22
Minnesota Timberwolves: 17, 31
Indiana Pacers: 23, 54
Boston Celtics: 28, 32
Phoenix Suns: 29, 52
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 51
Memphis Grizzlies: 48, 56
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49, 58

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 1
New Orleans Pelicans: 7
Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Miami Heat: 20
Detroit Pistons: 37
Golden State Warriors: 41
Sacramento Kings: 42
Milwaukee Bucks: 47
New York Knicks: 50
Los Angeles Lakers: 55

Teams with no picks:

Denver Nuggets

Latest On Jayson Tatum

May 15th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Jayson Tatum‘s injury will have a ripple effect on the rest of the league and it will send a seismic wave down the Celtics organization, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. While Achilles injuries aren’t entirely uncommon in the NBA, it’s not typical that a player of Tatum’s caliber suffers an injury this catastrophic at this point in the league’s calendar year.

Unless the Celtics complete the 3-1 comeback against the Knicks, the NBA is looking at its seventh different champion in as many years. Reports were already circulating that Boston was looking to make some changes this offseason as the team continued to get more expensive. Now their superstar is out until likely, at earliest, late into next regular season.

There is somewhat of a precedent to follow in that Kevin Durant tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals, but the Warriors were still able to build around Stephen Curry in his wake.

In a similar article, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explores what paths Boston could explore with Tatum likely sidelined all of next year. Making trades to trim salary and add depth seems likely, but it’s unclear who could be on the block. Jrue Holiday is still a valuable piece for a contender, so he could be an option if Boston opts for that route. While Jaylen Brown would be an appealing trade target for almost every team in the league, the Celtics will need to rely on him to stay competitive next year, Pelton writes.

We have more on Tatum’s injury and the shock wave it sent through the NBA:

Outside of Holiday, the Celtics could also look to move one or both of Derrick White or Kristaps Porzingis, Jay King of The Athletic suggests. Al Horford will also be an unrestricted free agent, as will Luke Kornet, and bringing both back could be challenging given the Celtics’ financial position.
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed Tatum’s injury this week, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). “Jayson has a warrior mentality like the rest of his teammates,” Grousbeck said. “He will work very hard to get back, and in the meantime the Celtics will fight hard for every game.“
Brown and Horford spoke to Celtics players in a meeting prior to Game 5’s big win over the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on a SportsCenter appearance (YouTube link). On Wednesday, the team got a message from Tatum while he was recovering from his surgery. According to Windhorst, Tatum told the team that he would be back and encouraged them to play hard in the wake of his injury.

William Chisholm Finalizes New Celtics Ownership Group

May 15th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Impending Celtics owner William Chisholm has finalized his new ownership group and has obtained the necessary funds to purchase the team, according to a letter sent to existing shareholders that was obtained by Adam Himmselsbach of The Boston Globe.

The letter confirms much of what was reported a couple weeks ago by Front Office Sports, including that Chisholm had secured enough capital to complete the sale; the buyers will acquire approximately 51% of the franchise this summer at a valuation of $6.1 billion in the first of two transactions; the second transaction will occur in 2028 at a $7.3 billion valuation; and current owner Wyc Grousbeck will continue as CEO and governor through the 2027/28 season.

As Himmelsbach notes, the sale will not become official until it’s approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors in June or July, though that’s viewed as a formality. Chisholm’s exact stake has yet to be clarified, Himmelsbach adds, but he’s required to control at least 15% to be the majority owner.

Chisholm’s winning bid for the Celtics was not fully financed at the time the agreement was reached in March, but obviously that has changed over the past couple months. That also isn’t unusual for such a massive transaction, Himmelsbach writes.

According to the letter, current minority owners who are not joining Chisholm’s group will be required to sell 50% “plus one unit” of their interest in the Celtics while deferring the rest until the second transaction in 2028. They also have the option of selling their all of their shares this summer, according to Himmselbach, who reports that those stakeholders have until May 28 to inform Chisholm’s group of their decision.

And-Ones: East/West, Stephenson, East Finals, World Cup

May 15th, 2025 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The stunning events that occurred on Monday, namely Dallas and San Antonio moving up to No. 1 and No. 2 in the draft lottery and Celtics star Jayson Tatum tearing his Achilles tendon, will reverberate through the NBA for years to come. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, there was already a significant divide in star power between the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference — now there could be a “chasm.”

“The West just keeps getting richer,” one league executive told Bontemps. “How come everybody keeps going to the West? For the veteran players, you could say it’s better weather, going to California, better organizations. But they’ve also just gotten really lucky.

“It seems like every time there’s one of these generational talents — Victor (Wembanyama), Zion (Williamson), Anthony Davis — they just end up in the West. It’s just bad luck … it is what it is.”

Aside from Indiana, New York and Cleveland, Tatum’s injury means there are suddenly major question marks in the East, which could make teams more aggressive on the trade market. There’s a possibility that Giannis Antetokounmpo could be traded to the West as well.

“Cooper Flagg is going to the West for the next 10 years, Giannis could be headed West, Tatum is out of the mix for a year and the Celtics likely are, too,” a scout said. “Good for East teams who are trying to make the Finals.”

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA swingman Lance Stephenson is signing a contract to play in the BIG3 for the 3×3 league’s upcoming season, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Stephenson, who played for eight NBA teams across 10 seasons from 2010-22, spent most of his professional career in Indiana. He last played in the G League for the Iowa Wolves in 2023/24.
While the Pacers don’t yet know which team they’ll be facing, the Eastern Conference Finals schedule has been announced (Twitter link via Michael Preston). The series will begin on May 21, with games played every other day until a potential Game 7 on June 2.
FIBA has announced the draw for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, officially confirming the groups for the Africa, Americas, Asian, and European events. Team USA will be in group A of the Americas qualifiers, alongside the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and a to-be-determined fourth team that makes it through the pre-qualifiers.
FIBA is looking to engage the NCAA about a possible letter of clearance system for international players who want to leave their teams for a college program, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links). As Givony points out, international teams already have the ability to block a player from leaving if he’s under contract, so it’s unclear why the NCAA would agree to a change that would give European teams more leeway to prevent a young prospect from moving stateside.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Celtics Notes: Kornet, Porzingis, Tatum, Brown

May 14th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luke Kornet was an unexpected star as the Celtics staved off elimination by beating the Knicks in Wednesday’s Game 5, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. With Kristaps Porzingis struggling through another ineffective game, coach Joe Mazzulla decided to have Kornet start the second half in his place. Kornet delivered one of the best performances of his career, blocking five shots in the third quarter while scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds.

“He was great,” coach Joe Mazzulla said in a separate Boston Globe story. “He did a great job protecting the rim, he did a great job defending without fouling, did a great job on both ends of the floor. I just thought his presence was good, especially with the rebounding. … He made some big-time plays for us.”

Kornet finished the night with a near triple-double, posting 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in 26 minutes. With Porzingis slowed by lingering virus symptoms, Kornet may have a more significant role for the rest of the series, which moves back to New York on Friday.

“He was unbelievable,” Derrick White said of Kornet. “He came in and just seemed to be always in the right position. Seven blocks is crazy, he was unbelievable tonight and really stepped up when he needed him. He’s a had a great season, and he was big time for us tonight. … Yeah, I was barking with him. It’s just fun to see him do that.”

There’s more from Boston:

Mazzulla confirmed that health issues resulted in Porzingis sitting out the entire second half, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis is still feeling the effects of a virus he contracted in late February and recently explained that he has physical crashes that rob him of energy and stamina. “He couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said. “So he was available if absolutely necessary. So that was just a decision between me and him. He was having difficulties breathing, but he wanted to be out there. And if we absolutely needed him, we would have been able to go to him and rely on him.”
Jayson Tatum posted an Instagram message on Wednesday, reaching out to fans for the first time since undergoing surgery to fix an Achilles tear on Tuesday. Tatum, who suffered the injury during Monday’s Game 4, displayed a picture of himself in his hospital bed with the statement, “Thankful for all the love and support.”
Stephania Bell of ESPN examines Tatum’s projected recovery timeline and compares it to other stars who’ve been through the same procedure.
Jaylen Brown, who contributed 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Game 5 victory, talked about the need to adopt a greater leadership role in Tatum’s absence, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Just be who I am and I think that’s it,” Brown said. “Just be myself, come out, be aggressive and get it done in multiple ways. We’re a team. We’ve always been a team. … The goal is to just lead and be myself.”

Celtics Notes: DPE, Cost-Saving Moves, Tatum’s Recovery, Game 5, Porzingis

May 14th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are unlikely to pursue a disabled player exception in the wake of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tear, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The DPE provides an avenue to help teams replace players who suffer serious injuries, but it carries restrictions that will limit its usefulness for Boston.

Robb points out that teams aren’t permitted to use the exception until a physician designated by the NBA determines that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through June 15 of the qualifying season. Tatum’s injury occurred Monday during Game 4 against the Knicks and he underwent surgery on Tuesday, so it’s far too early to put a firm timetable on his recovery process.

Also, the DPE is limited to the amount of the mid-level exception, which is currently $14.1MM. Considering Tatum’s $54.1MM salary for next season, the Celtics couldn’t come close to replacing him with a similar player. Robb notes that the team is already facing a record tax payment for 2025/26, so the extra financial penalties associated with adding salary would make it prohibitive.

Robb believes Boston will definitely make moves this summer to drop below the $208MM second apron and may try to get beneath the projected $188MM tax line. He states that the front office might have to explore moving Jaylen Brown if the return is right, and he lists Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser as other trade candidates.

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum’s father expects the recovery time to be about eight to nine months, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said on ESPN’s NBA Today (Twitter video link). A nine-month absence would bring him back around the All-Star break, giving him plenty of time to ramp up for the playoffs. Spears adds that Tatum and his father cried on the phone together after the injury, but his father inspired him by pointing out that Kobe Bryant went through the same experience. Spears also reveals that Tatum’s surgeon performed similar procedures on Kevin Durant and Tiger Woods.
A league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that Tatum and the Celtics made the decision to have surgery right away after doctors confirmed the severity of the injury Tuesday morning. Himmelsbach’s source adds that the medical outcomes with Achilles tears tend to be more favorable when they’re addressed quickly, and that complications are often associated with this type of operation, so Celtics officials were relieved when Tatum’s procedure went smoothly.
Despite the grief over losing Tatum, the Celtics still have a chance to salvage their second-round series with three straight wins over the Knicks, starting with tonight’s Game 5, Himmelsbach adds. He points out that the team went 8-2 without Tatum this season, but was only 2-2 against playoff teams. “We feel for [Tatum], of course,” Porzingis said. “But we have to move forward. He doesn’t want us to be sad and not playing our best basketball. So we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the results.”
Porzingis, who is dealing with side effects from a lingering virus, was able to play 24 minutes on Monday, the most since Game 3 of the opening-round series with Orlando, Himmelsbach notes. “Tonight was the first time I felt decent, honestly, just everything,” Porzingis said. “My energy, I was more, like, uplifted, and maybe didn’t have my best game, anyway, but my energy was good and I felt like I could go a bit more up and down, so that was a positive.”

Celtics Reserve Forward Sam Hauser Listed As Probable For Game 5

May 13th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics got a small bit of good news in an otherwise dark day. Sam Hauser, a key reserve forward, is listed as probable to play in Game 5 at Boston on Wednesday, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. Boston trails New York, 3-1, with the second-round series returning to the Celtics’ home floor.

Hauser only played four minutes in Game 1 before being sidelined with a right ankle sprain. He has missed the past three games.

Hauser was the eighth man in the rotation for much of the season and played a regular role off the bench in the first round against Orlando, averaging 14.6 minutes per game across those five contests. Hauser scored 10 points in the clinching Game 5 win.

During the regular season, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game across 71 outings (19 starts), knocking down 41.6% of his three-pointers.

Hauser gives his team another quality option as it tries to make up for the enormous loss of star Jayson Tatum, who underwent surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon on Tuesday.