Celtics Center Kristaps Porzingis Sidelined for Up to 6 Months After Surgery

Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics celebrates a 3-pointer during Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Boston on June 6, 2024. (Charles Krupa/AP Photo)

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis underwent successful surgery on his lower right leg, and is expected to be back in the lineup early in the upcoming regular season.

“Kristaps Porzingis underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon,” the Celtics said in a statement. “Porzingis is expected to return to play in 5–6 months. Further updates will be provided as necessary.”

Porzingis played an early key role for Boston against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals before being sidelined with the injury.

He scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Celtics 107–89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1. He then scored 12 points before injuring his leg in Game 2.

Porzingis missed the next two matchups but returned for the fifth and deciding game as the Celtics won their record 18th NBA championship with a 106–88 victory. Porzingis finished with 5 points in 16 minutes, and he was hampered by the injury.

After the championship series, the Celtics and Porzingis decided he needed to undergo surgery. Boston coach Brad Stevens confirmed the timeline for Porzingis to return is between late November and late December.

The NBA has not released the schedule for the 2024–2025 season, but the opener is traditionally scheduled for late October.

As the defending NBA champions, the Celtics will host the first game of the season when the franchise will unveil the championship banner and distribute rings to the players for winning the title.

Porzingis will likely not be in uniform for the momentous occasion.

Nonetheless, he is expected to play a key role next season when he is fully recovered from the surgery.

Porzingis, 28, was acquired by the Celtics from the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team trade in June 2023. The deal also sent Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, from Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies.

As part of that deal, the Wizards acquired guard Tyus Jones from Memphis forwards Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari, and a second-round pick this year from the Celtics.

One month after being traded to the Celtics, Porzingis reached a two-year, $60 million extension that keeps him under contract for $96 million through the 2025–2026 season.

Boston is the fourth stop in Porzingis’s career.

Porzingis was originally selected by the New York Knicks with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He spent three seasons in New York and averaged 18.4 points per game.

In January 2019, the Knicks traded Porzingis, Trey Burke, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., an unprotected 2021 first-round draft pick, and top-10 protected 2023 first-round draft pick.

Porzingis spent three seasons in Dallas where he averaged 19.9 points per game.

In February 2022, Porzingis was on the move again, and this time, he was traded to the Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and David Bertains. Porzingis spent just two years in Washington and had the best season of his NBA career in 2022–2023 when he averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

The change of scenery has helped Porzingis grow as a player.

“Things start to click more and more the older you get,” Porzingis said at his introductory press conference with the Celtics. “Looking back and just looking at life and not just basketball, I was so dumb when I was 21. Now you get to 25 and now I am [28], you think I was dumb a couple of years ago, so you are always evolving and evolving as a basketball player also. I will probably be a much better player by 30 than I am now.

“I’m looking forward to keeping that growth and keep getting better as a basketball player.”

The decision to acquire Porzingis paid dividends for the Celtics as he averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game this past season.

Boston has the depth to absorb the loss of Porzingis for the early part of the season.

Al Horford, a five-time NBA All-Star, was the starting center for the Celtics throughout the NBA Finals and was stellar defensively. The 38-year-old June 17, at the age of 38, won the first NBA Championship of his career.

Horford will be playing out the final year of his current contract next season but he is looking forward to helping the Celtics defend their NBA title.

“It was so special,” Horford said at the Celtics’ championship parade. “It was so sweet to do it here and be able to win it here in Boston. For me, that was the most special part about it. There was a lot of growth. These guys were ready for that moment. We just needed the right group of guys. It’s hard to win a championship. We were able to get the right group of guys this year, all of us here. This is what’s it is about and I am happy we were able to get it done.”

The Celtics also have centers Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta on the roster. However, the team will be happy to have a healthy Porzingis back in the lineup next season.