It would have been a homecoming for Georges Niang to play for the Boston Celtics. The Lawrence, Mass., native just didn’t stick around long enough to put on the green and white jersey.
In the latest cost-cutting move during an offseason full of them, the Celtics agreed to trade Niang, whom they acquired from Atlanta earlier this offseason, and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for rookie R.J. Louis Jr., league sources confirmed to The Athletic. Even after a separate maneuver to sign free agent center Chris Boucher, as a team source confirmed, Boston saved enough money to move about $8 million under the collective bargaining agreement’s second-apron payroll threshold. The team is still about $12 million above the $187.9 million luxury tax.
ESPN first reported both moves. A league source told The Athletic the Jazz are getting the better of Cleveland’s or Boston’s 2031 second-round pick and the better of Boston’s or Orlando’s 2027 second-round pick in the deal.
Boucher, who played with the Toronto Raptors for the last seven seasons, will give the Celtics another option in their thin frontcourt. After averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds last season, he should compete with Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman for minutes at center. With 7,216 career minutes played, the 32-year-old Boucher has more game experience than the rest of the Celtics centers combined, even though he started just 23 games over eight seasons. The big man is coming off one of his better 3-point shooting seasons, hitting 36.3 percent on 3.9 attempts per game in 2024-25.
For the Celtics, addressing one hole left another open. Though dumping Niang’s contract — he’s set to make $8.2 million this season — made financial sense, trading him will only exacerbate the Celtics’ weakness at power forward. While their usual starting power forward, Jayson Tatum, is sidelined by a torn Achilles, it’s not clear how the team will handle the position. Tillman, who played most of his minutes at center last season, might be the only natural power forward on the roster.
Niang plays that spot as well. But after landing on the Celtics last month in the Kristaps Porziņģis trade, Niang was always in danger of being traded again for payroll purposes. In the swap with Utah, Boston was able to move him without bringing back any additional NBA salary, as two-way contracts do not count against the cap or for luxury-tax purposes.
Louis, 22, recently signed a two-way contract with the Jazz after finishing a standout college career at St. John’s. His presence alongside second-round picks Amari Williams and Max Shugla means the Celtics now have a roster crunch with two-way players. The addition of Louis could be an ominous sign for the returning Miles Norris, though a team source said his future has yet to be determined.
(Photo of Georges Niang: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
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