Should the Celtics Hold on to Kristaps Porzingis This Summer?

Many around the league are wondering whether Kristaps Porzingis will remain in Boston past this offseason.

After the Celtics’ first-round exit, Pozingis and Jrue Holiday have emerged as the most likely candidates to be traded this summer, since the C’s need to shed about $20 million in salary this offseason to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax.

Porzingis is entering the final year of his contract, which comes with a $30.7 million salary cap hit.

Numrous trade proposal ideas for the big man have been thrown around.

One that was discussed by insiders Chris Mannix and Kevin O’Connor centered around MassLive.com’s Brian Robb’s proposal where the Celtics would send Porzingis to the Blazers for Robert Williams and Matisse Thybulle.

“If Porzingis can play, if he’s shaken whatever this illness was, he brings a lot more value than Robert Williams,” Mannix said. “You want a guy that — on a lesser contract — that has shown he can play with Jayson Tatum, has shown he can fit in alongside Jaylen Brown. If you can keep him around on a better deal, that’s probably better long-term for the Celtics.”

Porzingis struggled with a number of illness and injuries this season, missing 25 because of it. At one point during the playoffs, he was sturggling to breathe and had to come off the court.

But O’Connor thinks a he should be given the benefit of the doubt and that a Williams/Thybulle return isn’t enough to let him go.

“You’ve got to see how he looks with Latvia (in the EuroBasket 2025 tournament), and possibly you take him into the season, because he’s still a major X-factor,” O’Connor said. “Still has shown what he can do to this offense, the layers he brings to this team that loves to shoot 3s. His post-up, his ability with his size, and obviously his defense as well.

“Porzingis is a guy I’d prefer to keep, considering his value is so low right now. And if you’re only getting back Time Lord (Robert Wllliams), who, I love him, but injury-prone, hasn’t shown a lot, and Thybulle, who cannot shoot at all and hasn’t for multiple teams, that’s not a great return for Kristaps Porzingis.”