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Boston Celtics almost swapped Kyrie Irving for Kristaps Porzingis in 2019

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Kyrie Irving’s tenure with the Boston Celtics is often spoken about in hushed tones. His contentious relationship with the Celtics fan base has led to several hostile receptions at the TD Garden. Many segments of the fan base believe Irving downed tools during the 2019 playoffs. Now, he will be lining up against the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Boston also has a perceived villain in this series. Porzingis’ tenure with the Dallas Mavericks never went to plan. He left the franchise after two and a half years of struggle next to Luka Doncic. Interestingly, he and Irving almost swapped places in 2019, which would have put both stars on a different career trajectory.

“When New York’s front office began to quietly pursue deals to move on from Porzingis, the Celtics and Knicks even held tangible dialogue about swapping Irving for the 7-2 sharpshooter, league sources told Yahoo Sports, before the Mavericks swooped in and sent a package headlined by two first-round picks to New York,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported.

Trades that never came to fruition are rife within the NBA. Teams have a dialogue about countless deals each year, with only a slim percentage getting over the finish line. Nevertheless, it’s fair to wonder how the Celtics would have fared with Porzingis in their rotation, especially in the 2022 postseason.

Fortunately for Boston, they now have Porzingis in their rotation. He’s expected to return from his right soleus strain to begin the series. The Celtics eventually got their man, and now, they will be hoping he’s capable of getting them over the hump and into the history books.

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