It’s been a busy offseason for the Boston Celtics. To avoid the penalties of being a repeat second-apron offender, the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, let Luke Kornet walk, while Al Horford has yet to decide on where he’ll sign, which won’t be in Boston.
Last year at this time, the Celtics were gearing up to repeat by re-signing the championship core. Now, the team projects to be a low-seed playoff team. It’s sad to see the core break up so abruptly, but without Tatum, the Celtics aren’t a championship caliber team and must re-tool for when he comes back.
Although the Celtics' roster is just about locked in for this upcoming season, they currently have 16 players and must move on from one player. This Celtics forward they just traded for could be on the move before 2025 is over.
Georges Niang Should Brace for a Trade
The Celtics acquired Georges Niang from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade that sent Porzingis to the Hawks. Niang split time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Hawks last year, averaging 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
The addition of Niang, a Massachusetts native, gives the Celtics another scoring option off the bench, but crowds them with forwards. While Niang fits the Celtics' playstyle of shooting threes, shooting 40.6% on 5.2 attempts last season, they already have plenty of shooters and need help in the frontcourt.
With Kornet and Horford gone, the Celtics will be relying on Neemias Queta, along with their two new additions, Luka Garza and Amari Williams, at center. Of the three, Queta is the only one who’s played meaningful minutes, and he only averaged 13.9 minutes last season.
The Celtics need a reliable and experienced contributor off the bench who can play either the four or the five. With Niang on an expiring deal, the Celtics must ship him off and get an impactful player in return.
One player in mind would be Jeremy Sochan of the San Antonio Spurs. Although the Celtics would most likely have to package a few picks and more along with Niang, Sochan would provide the Celtics with help on the glass and interior defense.