Kristaps Porziņģis Thought He Was Traded to LA When Fan Told Him About Luka, Lakers

A miscommunication with a fan led to Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porziņģis initially believing that he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to Sunday’s ESPN broadcast of the clash between the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, Porziņģis said that he was “walking around in Philadelphia” when a fan questioned him about the blockbuster deal involving Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, asking “What do you think of the trade to LA?”

Porziņģis thought that he was getting dealt to the Lakers before receiving clarification that the fan was referring to Dončić, his old teammate on the Mavericks.

“He was like, ‘Yo, you heard about the trade?'” Porziņģis said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “I was like, ‘What happened? Did I get traded?’ And he was like, ‘No, Luka to the Lakers.’ And I was like, ‘Yo, no way.’ Then I got my phone back and read all about it. Honestly, I can’t believe it. I think this is the craziest trade in NBA history. Unbelievable.”

In a blockbuster three-team deal that also involved the Utah Jazz, Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were dealt to Los Angeles while Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick headed to the Mavericks in return.

The Jazz came away from the trade with Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.

Porziņģis and Dončić played together in Dallas from the 2019-20 season until the forward was traded during the Mavericks’ 2021-22 campaign.

“Man, this is like, Luka Dončić,” Porziņģis said, via King. “That is wild. I mean, that is truly like, I still can’t really believe it. Twenty-five years old. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes. You never know. But I’m speechless, honestly.”

While it would have been difficult to imagine the Celtics moving on from Porziņģis after winning a championship in 2024, it was also hard to picture the Mavericks trading away Dončić prior to his move to the Lakers on Sunday.