The Boston Celtics continue to unload salary, this time by moving key reserve forward Kristaps Porzingis.
The Celtics agreed to trade Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday as part of a three-team trade. The Celtics will receive Georges Niang and a second-round pick, while the Nets take on Terance Mann and Atlanta’s No. 22 overall pick as part of the deal.
BREAKING: Boston, Atlanta and Brooklyn are finalizing a three-team trade that sends Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Hawks, Terance Mann and Atlanta's No. 22 pick to the Nets, and Georges Niang and a second-rounder to the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/1fcbIslyVF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025
This is the second big move in as many days for the Celtics, who are trimming salary due to an inflated luxury tax bill. Jrue Holiday was shipped to Portland last night for similar reasons.
Porzingis is set to make roughly $30 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. They get back Niang, who carries a cap hit of $8.2 million, knocking over $20 million off the Celtics’ payroll. The Hawks hope he will take some pressure off Trae Young and help entrench the team as more of a threat in the Eastern Conference next season.
The Celtics’ decision to trade Porzingis is not a big surprise. His name has been coming up in trade rumors since the team was eliminated from the playoffs, though there are some who believe that letting him go will prove to be a mistake.
Porzingis was a vital part of the Celtics’ 2024 championship. However, a virus derailed his 2024-25 season, and he averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 42 appearances.
