The Boston Celtics had one goal this offseason: shed as much money as possible. Without Jayson Tatum on the court, the Celtics' roster was far too expensive to keep together. The team's first two moves in the offseason saw them save hundreds of millions of dollars. Boston sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks for Georges Niang.
Those two moves sent key pieces of their championship roster out the door, but saved the new owners a lot of money. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Celtics made another move to save money. Boston sent Niang and two second-round to the Utah Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr. in a deal that sends Niang's $8.2 million contract to one of the Western Conference's bottom feeders.
The deal nets the Celtics a young player while also relieving some pressure on their salary cap. After Porzingis' contract was off the books, experts wondered what other moves Boston would make to help themselves out. There was some speculation that the Celtics could consider trading Jaylen Brown. However, he and Tatum are in for the long haul at TD Garden.
Niang joins a young Jazz team with its sights set on developing its young talent. The forward will get some playing time, but his expiring deal makes him a prime trade candidate at next year's deadline. Utah likely made the trade for the future draft capital more so than the player it got from Boston.
The Celtics are expected to struggle without the core of their 2024 championship squad. Of its main contributors, only Brown, Tatum, and Derrick White remain. With Al Horford considering options other than Boston, the Celtics are making moves for their futures as if he won't be a part of it.
Moving on from Niang's contract does not bring Boston closer to a title. However, it makes the next season much cheaper and helps to clear their books for next summer, where they hope to retool the roster and contend once again.
The Celtics did make another move right after the Niang trade, agreeing to sign former Toronto Raptors big man Chris Boucher to a one-year deal worth $3.3 million.
