At the top of Brad Stevens’ “to-do” list this offseason was getting the Celtics out of the NBA’s daunting second apron. And in less than 24 hours, he’s done just that.
Less than a full day after the Celtics sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks, they offloaded Kristaps Porzingis and the $30.7 million he’s owed in the final year of his deal. The three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets sent Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Hawks, Terance Mann and Atlanta’s No. 22 pick to the Nets, and Georges Niang and a second-rounder to the Celtics.
It came at the expense of two starters from Boston’s championship team, but the deal moves the Celtics out of the second apron by roughly $4.5 million. Of course, they still need room for free agents, so more moves are on the way. But entering Wednesday night’s NBA Draft out of the second apron is a big win for Stevens and the Celtics, who are now free of the roster-building restrictions that come with being a second apron team—so long as they stay under in any deal made.
And they did it without touching Jaylen Brown or Derrick White. Add in two rotation-caliber players in Simons and Niang, both on expiring deals, plus a pair of second-round picks as future assets, and it’s a job well done.
As for the trade itself, parting ways with Porzingis leaves the Celtics thin in the frontcourt. Al Horford and Luke Kornet are both unrestricted free agents, leaving only Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman under contract.
Niang (32) is a Methuen native who attended the Tilton School in New Hampshire. He has played nine professional seasons, with stops in Indiana, Utah, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and most recently, Atlanta. Niang appeared in 79 games last season — 51 with Cleveland and 28 with Atlanta — averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6% from three on 5.2 attempts per game. He’s a career 39.9% shooter from beyond the arc and has hit 40% or better in six of the last seven seasons.
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