The second domino fell for the Celtics when they traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks in a three-team deal with Atlanta and the Brooklyn Nets.
Boston also sent a second-round pick to the Hawks, while the Nets will get Terance Mann and the Hawks’ No. 22 overall pick. The Celtics, meanwhile, will get Georges Niang and a second-round pick while being able to get out from under Porzingis’ hefty contract, which got the team out of the second apron.
The trade, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, comes less than 24 hours after Boston traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Naturally, social media had plenty to say about the Porzingis trade between the Celtics losing another key piece to their team, and Niang — who’s from Massachusetts — being the player who grabbed Jaylen Brown’s knee from the bench in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinal between Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Celtics fan might burn down the Garden if they don’t move Niang it seems
— GolfSznMike (@Macattack1189) June 24, 2025
The current CBA makes it a harsh reality that great teams can’t be kept together for very long anymore. So I was resigned to KP and Jrue being moved. Obviously we need to see what moves the C’s make next to judge everything in full. But this gives them much needed flexibility https://t.co/ErLUIvDKD5
— Mark (@MarkPiselli13) June 24, 2025
Quick Kristaps Porzingis thoughts:
- This is huge for the second apron problem, which justifies the low return
- Celtics drafting a big feels more likely
- Bringing in Niang (and Baylor’s presence) makes it feel like Sam Hauser could be on his way out
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) June 24, 2025
I better wake up tmr and see niang off the Celtics
— The Celtics hub ☘️ (@Thecelticshub) June 24, 2025
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