Trades, free agent signings and a question over where a recently-drafted rookie fits into the equation. Tuesday afternoon had it all.
Trades, free agent signings and a question over where a recently-drafted rookie fits into the equation. Tuesday afternoon had it all, and of course, it came right out of left field, just the way Brad Stevens likes it.
Trading away Georges Niang made sense, especially when you factor in the luxury tax savings and how close it got Boston to being under the first apron. Stevens also landed rookie RJ Luis Jr., who was on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, to get another shot at unearthing and developing an overlooked talent.
The goal of this summer was to get below the second apron, and that goal has now been achieved with enough flexibility that you could probably add another guy on a minimum and still have some headspace.
Interestingly, though, the downgrade from Kristaps Porzingis has now been completed, and it took just two moves to make it happen. Let's quickly review those.
Move 1: Sending Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.
There were three teams involved in this deal. The full trade looked like this:
Hawks received: Kristaps Porzingis and a 2026 second-round pick via the Celtics
Celtics received: Georges Niang, a 2031 second-round pick and cash via the Nets
Nets received: Terance Mann and Drake Powell
Move 2: Sending Niang to Utah
Celtics received: RJ Luis Jr.
Jazz received: Georges Niang, two future seconds.
Overall, the Celtics sent out three future second-round picks to go from Porzingis to Luis Jr. They got one back in return, making a net spend of two picks in total. Not bad considering the amount of luxury taxes those moves helped shave off the 2025-26 payroll.
This leads us to the second move of the day...
The Celtics signed veteran forward Chris Boucher to a one-year $3.3 million deal.
Boucher is a positionally versatile forward who can slot into the rotation across the front court. I found this interesting:
- 23% of his career minutes have come at the three
- 37% of his career minutes have come at the four
- 32% of his career minutes have come at the five
- The remaining 7% of his career minutes, shockingly, come at the two
Boucher's versatility can ensure Joe Mazulla has options available when designing his rotations, combinations and substitution patterns. The veteran forward can operate on the perimeter, around the block, or as a cutter from the wings.
According to CourtSketch, Boucher ended last season just outside of the top-50 for adjusted true shooting, knocking down 59% of his looks. He was also 72nd in the NBA for "At Rim Efficiency," shooting 72%. Boucher also shot 40% on his wide-open catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, and 37% when open from deep overall.
Offensively, Boucher can operate as a reliable Swiss-Army Knife addition, both in terms of position and scoring role. The Celtics needed someone with that level of versatility, especially in a front court that projects to be an area of concern for the franchise in the upcoming season.
On defense, Boucher is right at the level of a bench player in terms of impact. Dunks And Threes tracked the 32-year-old as having a -0.9 Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus last season. I like DEPM as a stat because it adjusts for the players around you, and contextualizes how those players could positively or negatively impact performance.
To build on this, Boucher has only had one positive season on defense, per DEPM. That year came in 2022, when he was a +0.9 on the defensive end. Still, under Mazzulla, we could see Boucher's length, rebounding and mobility all factor into what could be a career-best defensive year, or at least, that's the wishful thinking side of my brain doing the talking...
In terms of what the Celtics needed to boost the front court, Boucher checks multiple boxes. If he can show marginal improvement to his defense, he will be a net neutral on that side of the floor, thus making him an all-around positive addition to the rotation.
I'm a fan of his scoring profile and think Mazzulla could find ways of unlocking him in the rotation. Solid pick-up, low-cost, no long-term commitment. Chalk this one up as a win all around.
However, there is a byproduct of these two moves that needs to be mentioned, at least in passing, as we continue to monitor the situation.
Amari Williams' Celtics future is uncertain
Amari Williams was the 46th overall pick in this year's draft. He was one of three draft picks by Brad Stevens. However, he's the only one of those three who is yet to sign a contract with the franchise.
Hugo Gonzalez has inked a four-year $14.2 million deal with the Celtics, where the final two years are both team options. Max Shulga is on a two-way contract with the franchise. The problem for Williams is that by adding RJ Luis Jr., the Celtics now have their maximum of three players under a two-way contract, with Miles Norris rounding out the trio.
That leaves Williams in no man's land.
Williams had some good flashes during Summer League, but never popped out of the screen at you. His passing is intriguing, his interior scoring looks scalable, and his ability to put the ball on the floor gives him scope to develop his all-around game.
Yet, there are clear limitations in his defense, most notably his slow feet and rigid hip movement. At present, he looks like quicker guards and wings will give him hell when driving or cutting from the perimeter, especially if he's back-peddling or changing direction while operating as a drop defender.
If he's going to stick around with the Celtics, the franchise has three options available:
- They waive one of the current two-way guys, most likely Norris, and replace him with Williams
- They sign Williams to a full-scale NBA contract and give him a roster spot with the main team.
- They convert one of the current two-way guys to a full-scale NBA contract and then sign Williams on a two-way contract
Otherwise, Williams will be heading into unrestricted free agency in the coming months, where he will likely find himself landing in the G League in the hopes of developing and impressing another team around the NBA.
The rookie finds himself in a tough spot. He doesn't have the 3-point shooting to be a viable four in the Celtics rotation. And he doesn't project to be a better prospect than Luka Garza or Neemias Queta at the five.
Williams may be an unintended casualty of the Celtics' roster moves on Tuesday. Unfortunately for him, that's the harsh reality of the NBA. Of course, things could still turn around for him. There's a good chance that the roster still isn't set, and another shakeup is right around the corner.
Stevens has accomplished his primary goal (getting comfortably under the second apron) while adding a versatile piece in Boucher, who could outperform his modest contract. Williams' uncertain future is unfortunate, but those are the breaks. If yesterday taught us anything, it's that Stevens continues to move in silence and catch us off guard. If I'm honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Side note: For those who are interested, I recorded a YouTube video about these moves last night. You can check it out (and hopefully subscribe) here...
What are your thoughts regarding these moves? Let me know in the comments!
Catch y'all later!