The Boston Celtics have kept busy this summer, moving around multiple key pieces in order to circumvent the second apron. And although Massachusetts native Georges Niang was hoping to prove himself in Boston, the forward was dealt to the Utah Jazz before he had a chance, departing on Tuesday afternoon as part of a salary-dumping trade.
The Boston Celtics are trading Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr., sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/l7h0cGobfU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 5, 2025
The full swap sent two second-round picks and Niang — who played in over 200 games for the Jazz from 2018 to 2021 — to Utah in exchange for undrafted rookie RJ Luis Jr. But before the NBA world could break down this trade, Boston made the news again, signing former Toronto Raptor Chris Boucher to a one-year, $3.3 million contract, per ESPN insider Shams Charania.
Now that the dust has settled, let's look at the Celtics' latest offseason business and grade each decision, starting with Niang.
Celtics trade Georges Niang and 2 second-rounders for RJ Luis Jr.
While Niang grew up less than an hour from Beantown, there weren't many fans clamoring for him to come home.
However, the 32-year-old knows what it takes to contribute to a winning culture, as he has the most regular season victories of any player in the 2020s (with just four more than Celtics star Jayson Tatum). Boston could've used a veteran presence like that with center Al Horford likely on his way out, and it doesn't hurt that Niang is also a 39.9% 3-point shooter for his career.
That still wasn't enough to convince de facto Celtics general manager Brad Stevens to keep Niang around. Yet, this move, like many of the Celtics' recent deals, largely revolved around cost-cutting.
After removing Niang's $8 million contract and adding Boucher, the Celtics are $7.8 million under the second apron. That's a decent amount of breathing room in comparison to when the offseason started, giving Boston's front office more financial flexibility while it tries to keep building around Tatum and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Celtics updated roster pic.twitter.com/8tZT0uC090
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 5, 2025
As for the other side of this trade, Luis Jr. is an intriguing prospect with some New England roots of his own. The 6-foot-7 wing spent his freshman year with the UMass Minutemen before transferring to St. John's in 2023.
In Queens, Luis Jr. blossomed into a reliable starter, averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season. For his efforts, he was named Big East Player of the Year, but his college career didn't have a storybook ending.
After Luis Jr. helped the Red Storm blow out the Omaha Mavericks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he went up against coach John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks. This matchup was a nightmare for the All-American, as he finished with nine points and missed 14 of his 17 field goal attempts in the upset defeat. To make matters even worse, St. John's coach (and former Celtics skipper) Rick Pitino benched Luis Jr. with almost five minutes left in the contest, surely hurting his best player's draft stock.
"You know he was 3-17… You're answering your own [question]. I'm not going to knock one of my players."
St. John's HC Rick Pitino responded to reporters asking about RJ Luis being benched late in the loss to Arkansas pic.twitter.com/j5pRJJnFMG
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 22, 2025
Even though the 22-year-old wasn't selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, he landed a two-way contract with the Jazz. The Celtics now have control of that agreement, meaning Luis Jr. can spend time developing with the Maine Celtics, Boston's G League affiliate.
Since he's a subpar 3-point shooter coming off a poor March Madness performance, Luis Jr. has a lot to prove. But, for all his shortcomings, he excelled in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball and has more upside than most undrafted guys.
Given the addition of his talent and the subtraction of Niang's contract, this isn't a bad swap for the Celtics. Of course, it's more money-related than anything and probably won't pay dividends immediately, preventing it from truly moving the needle for Boston.
Grade: B
Celtics sign Chris Boucher to a one-year, $3.3 million contract
It's no secret that the Celtics were desperate for frontcourt help after losing starting center Kristaps Porzingis and backup big man Luke Kornet this summer.
Until Tuesday, Boston's only centers were rookie Amari Williams, first-year Celtic Luka Garza, and potential starter Neemias Queta, who's not too far removed from knee surgery.
This lackluster group needed a boost, explaining why the C's brought in Boucher at an affordable price. The 32-year-old center is no longer in his prime, but he still has more experience than every other Celtics center combined.
Boucher played in at least 50 games for the Toronto Raptors in six consecutive seasons and managed to average 10 points in just over 17 minutes per outing during the 2024-25 campaign. In addition, he's an adequate 3-point shooter with exceptional length and was the last player left from the Raptors 2019 championship team for a reason.
Chris Boucher as a Raptor:
— 1st in bench points
— 1st in bench rebounds
— 1st in bench blocks
— 1st in bench stocks
— 1st in bench threes
— 1st in bench free throws
— 1st in bench wins
— 1st in bench double-doublesGoing to Boston. pic.twitter.com/fPANrmH8Ko
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 5, 2025
Similarly to Niang, the two-time NBA champion and former G League MVP understands what winning basketball looks like in the NBA. He also understands how the Green Team operates, as he's played in 22 games against the Celtics, even dropping 30 points on them in a narrow loss back in 2021.
Stevens has an affinity for unheralded players who've burned his team — just ask Oshae Brissett, Dalano Banton, and others. Boucher serves as another example of this, except he has a shot at earning more minutes than all of the aforementioned names.
With Boucher, Boston is addressing an area of need without breaking the bank. That's essentially Boston's team-building strategy while Tatum recovers, so Stevens deserves some credit for staying active in free agency.
Ultimately, the Celtics still aren't in great shape to seriously contend for a championship at the moment. Boucher is a step in the right direction, yet there's no guarantee this acquisition is more than a rental amidst a potential down year.
Grade: A-
