The Boston Celtics needed some relief to get under the second apron. And they did that by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis with the two moves coming less than 24 hours apart.
While the pair of moves got Boston under the second apron, it still leaves the Celtics without two big players going into a season that they will likely be without Jayson Tatum as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
The Porzingis trade seemed more of a salary dump. But was it the right move for the Celtics? Here’s how experts around the NBA graded the trade.
ESPN
Porzingis’ combination of rim protection, outside shooting and ability to post up smaller defenders gave Boston a different dimension in 2023-24. His limited contributions during the playoffs, in between injuries, nevertheless made a difference against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
Besides his return from postseason leg surgery, illness was an issue for Porzingis this past season. A mysterious ailment helped limit Porzingis to 42 games in the regular season, the fewest of his career outside of when he missed all of 2018-19 following an ACL tear. And after a recurrence of that ailment, Porzingis totaled just 4.2 points per game during the Celtics’ second-round series loss to the New York Knicks.
Based on his track record, Porzingis was truly a luxury for Boston, which had the depth to survive his absences the past two seasons. (Porzingis played just 57 games in 2023-24.) With the repeater tax kicking in, plus the limitations imposed by the second apron, Porzingis was expendable in pursuit of a more balanced cap sheet.
Grade: B
Bleacher Report
Trading Porziņģis for Georges Niang accomplished Boston’s goal of getting under the second apron and (along with the Jrue Holiday deal) saved $180 million in luxury-tax penalties. The Celtics are now free to aggregate salaries in potential trades, although doing so would hard-cap them at the second apron, a number Boston is just $4.5 million below. This isn’t factoring in a new contract for Al Horford yet, who becomes even more important with Porziņģis gone.
Losing Porziņģis isn’t a death sentence for the team’s success, as the Celtics went 31-9 without him this past season. However, with Jayson Tatum sidelined for most/all of next year with an Achilles injury, Porziņģis was projected to take over as the No. 2 offensive option in Boston behind Jaylen Brown (who we assume is safe now).
Niang is a good veteran. He’s feisty, tough and not afraid to run his mouth in front of any opponent. He may even be the team’s new starting power forward with Tatum hurt and Porziņģis gone.
Grade: C
CBS Sports
The Boston Celtics entered this offseason with the most expensive roster inNBA history. They were set to have a payroll of nearly $500 million with luxury taxes factored in. That was fine whenJayson Tatum was healthy and they were a defending champion. However, with Tatum likely to miss all or most of next season with a torn Achilles, Boston basically had to shed payroll.
They were $22 million above the second apron, and it was critical to duck below it because teams can only spend two years in a five-year period above that line before future first-round picks start automatically dropping to No. 30 overall. The Celtics just used one second-apron season this year. They weren’t wasting another in a non-Tatum year, so shedding at least that $22 million became essential.
Grade: B+
The Athletic
The Celtics needed to shed more salary to get under the aforementioned second apron, and this should do it and then some. The question now is whether they feel they need to save even more money. That probably doesn’t mean sending out recently acquired players like Niang or Anfernee Simons (from the Holiday trade), but would they feel the need to part with Sam Hauser via salary dump if it means they can easily keep Al Horford and/or Luke Kornet? The latter players become even more imperative now that Porziņģis is officially off the books.
Niang is a nice addition because his 3-point shooting fits perfectly in their offense. He can really let it fly and flirts with being a 40 percent 3-point shooter for his career. Finding him in the corner or on the wings will have high upside for a good result. The key for Niang, who enters a contract year during an era where elite shooting is quite invaluable, will be fitting into the team defense.
Boston’s next step is making sure its frontcourt has enough size to remain relatively competitive.
Grade: B-