Make that two seismic trades in less than 24 hours for the Celtics.
One day after Boston shipped guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday reported the team was finalizing a three-team deal to send center Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Celtics reportedly will receive forward Georges Niang and a second-round pick in the trade, which, in conjunction with the Holiday swap, pushes Boston below the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax. The third involved team, the Brooklyn Nets, will receive Hawks guard Terrance Mann and Atlanta’s first-round selection (No. 22 overall) in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Both acquired during the 2023 offseason, Porzingis and Holiday were the pieces that pushed the Celtics over the championship hump, starring for the team that ended Boston’s 18-year NBA championship drought last summer. At his best, Porzingis was a difference-maker at both ends for the C’s, offering a rare combination of shot-blocking ability and perimeter shooting that made him a matchup nightmare for opponents.
In his two seasons with Boston, Porzingis averaged 19.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game, shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range.
The 7-foot-2 unicorn also became a fan favorite, earning raucous ovations from the TD Garden crowd during the 2024 NBA Finals and throughout the 2024-25 season. Porzingis relished his opportunities to invigorate the Celtics faithful, calling them his “WWE moments.”
But staying on the court proved difficult for Porzingis. He missed 65 regular-season games during his short Celtics tenure, plus most of Boston’s 2024 playoff run. This season, he was sidelined until late November as he recovered from the rare leg injury he suffered during the ’24 Finals, then contracted a viral illness in late February that caused him to miss eight consecutive games.
Porzingis returned to action as the regular season wound down, but his symptoms returned in the playoffs, zapping his energy and severely limiting his effectiveness. Head coach Joe Mazzulla ultimately moved him to the bench, and Porzingis averaged just 15.5 minutes per game in Boston’s second-round series loss to New York, posting some of the worst shooting numbers of any player this postseason (31.6%; 15.4% from three).
“(It was) super, super frustrating,” Porzingis said after the season. “As frustrating as you can imagine. Just to not be able to help this team more … not being too much of a help just hurts deep inside of here. It really sucks. It really, really sucks in these moments. But what can we do? I tried to give what I had, and we just fell short.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said last month that he expected Porzingis to make a full recovery. The 29-year-old plans to play for his native Latvia in the EuroBasket tournament later this summer.
While the Celtics were able to get a quality return in the Holiday trade (26-year-old scorer Anfernee Simons and two second-rounders), the Porzingis move is more of a straight salary dump. The center was set to make $30.7 million on an expiring contract this coming season. Flipping him for Niang, who’s on an $8.2 million expiring deal, saves the team $22.5 million
Niang, a 32-year-old Methuen native who attended high school at the Tilton School in New Hampshire, is an NBA journeyman who’s spent time with five different franchises, plus three G League teams. He appeared in 79 games this season for Cleveland and Atlanta, averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while making 40.6% of his 3-pointers (5.2 attempts per game). Niang is a career 39.9% shooter from 3-point range.
By exiting the second apron, the Celtics will avoid the worst of the NBA’s luxury tax penalties, as teams above that benchmark are subject to harsh restrictions governing the types of trades and signings they can make, in addition to pricey taxes that make even the cheapest contracts dauntingly expensive. Whether Stevens will look to swing additional moves to get below the first apron (which would require shedding an additional $7.4 million in salary) or out of the tax entirely ($15.4 million) remains to be seen.
Other Celtics players have been mentioned in trade rumors this week, most notably Sam Hauser and Jaylen Brown. Hauser is the more likely of the two to be moved, but Brown — who’s in line to become the team’s short-term centerpiece while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery — carries much greater value as a trade chip.
Another question in the wake of Porzingis’ departure is what the Celtics’ frontcourt will look like when the new season opens in October. Their second and third big men (de facto sixth starter Al Horford and impact reserve Luke Kornet) both are impending free agents and should have strong markets this offseason.
The only Boston bigs currently under contract for 2025-26 are Neemias Queta, who was not a regular member of Mazzulla’s rotation this season, and Xavier Tillman, who was one of the last players on the Celtics’ bench.
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