The Boston Celtics are trading Georges Niang and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr., according to Shams Charania of ESPN, in what is very clearly a pure salary dump move. Niang joined the Celtics in the Kristaps Porzingis trade earlier this summer that sent the Latvian big man to the Atlanta Hawks. Now, he’ll head back to Utah, where he spent the bulk of his career.
As for Luis, while he enjoyed a successful season this past year at St. John’s, this deal is more of a salary dump for the Celtics than anything else. Niang is slated to make $8.2 million next season, and dumping his money gives the Celtics significantly more breathing room under the second apron.
But now, more questions are about to arise.
What does this trade mean for Celtics?
Though Niang is a solid player, the harsh reality of the situation is that he didn’t make a ton of sense on this iteration of the Celtics, the one with Jayson Tatum sidelined.
Niang is an impressive three-point shooter and has been for his entire career, but at 32 years old, he’s entering the latter years of his career. Utah will be bringing him on board via the trade exception they got in the John Collins trade with the LA Clippers.
As for the Celtics, there is no clear-cut answer regarding what they will do next. With the trade, they are now a small move or two away from getting below the first apron as well, which could be something to watch out for.
The other small tidbit to consider is that Luis is on a two-way contract, and the Celtics already have two two-way players: Miles Norris and Max Shulga. Rookie big man Amari Williams has yet to sign his two-way deal, which could put some things in flux with the Celtics.
If Luis takes one of the two-way spots, Boston would be left to decide which of the four guys they want to keep on two-way deals. Perhaps that means Williams could have to search elsewhere for an NBA gig, or maybe Norris’ time in Boston would come to a close. Since Shulga just signed his two-way deal, it likely means his spot is the safest of the bunch.
But that’s besides the point. This deal was made as a salary dump. Boston had to attach two second-round picks to get former friend Austin Ainge to bite, and at the end of the day, shedding Niang’s $8.2 million was very clearly the team’s top priority in the trade.