Celtics trade Porzingis to Hawks: All the details of the 3-team deal explained

The Boston Celtics continue to clean up their finances ahead of the upcoming NBA season. Just one day after offloading Jrue Holiday and his salary in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, they have now decided to send Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks to avoid hitting the second tax apron.

The Boston franchise orchestrated a three-way deal with Atlanta and Brooklyn to shed the Latvian center’s hefty salary. According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Hawks will receive Porziņģis’ $30.7 million salary and a second-round pick; the Nets will acquire Terance Mann and the 22nd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft; and the Celtics will receive Georges Niang and a second-round pick.

The main benefit for Boston in acquiring Niang is that his salary for the upcoming season is only $8.2 million. As a result, moving both Porziņģis and Holiday provides nearly $180 million in tax relief for the Celtics. However, Boston remains just under the second apron and will need to continue tightening its finances to avoid further penalties.

Porziņģis’ numbers with the Celtics

KP6 arrived in Boston in June 2023 in a trade that involved Washington and Memphis. Less than a month later, he signed a two-year, $30 million extension to stay with the Massachusetts team. The trade paid off for the Celtics, who went on to win the 2024 NBA Championship by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals.

Injuries have been a constant in Porziņģis’ career, and his time in Boston was no exception, as he was limited to just 99 regular-season games over two campaigns due to issues with his hamstrings, calf, ankle, knee, and back. Still, the European big man averaged 19.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game while wearing the green and white uniform.

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