• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

New York Sports Today

New York Sports News Continuously updated

Kristaps Porziņģis Trade Comes With an Obvious Benefit for the Celtics

June 25, 2025 by Last Word On Pro Basketball

The Boston Celtics came into the offseason with a clear goal to get under the dreaded second apron. One day before the NBA Draft, that goal was accomplished after trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis. Holiday was shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. Porziņģis, along with a second-round pick, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal where the Celtics landed  Georges Niang and a second-round pick, the Brooklyn Nets got the No. 22 pick and Terance Mann. While the return wasn’t insane, the Celtics are now $4.5 million under the second apron, and Niang is a quality role player, making this a good trade for Boston.

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

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Kristaps Porziņģis Trade Comes With an Obvious Benefit for the Celtics

Mar 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) shoots for three points over Atlanta Hawks forward Bruno Fernando (24) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Second Apron Penalties

The second tax apron comes with severe penalties. This includes teams only being able to sign free agents to veteran minimum contracts, the inability to aggregate salaries in trades, conduct sign-and-trade deals, trade first-round picks seven years out, use trade exceptions created from a prior year, or use cash in trades. Furthermore, if a team remains in the second apron for three out of five seasons, their first-round pick will automatically move to the end of the round.

Overall, remaining in the second-apron significantly hampers your flexibility, especially if you are in it for multiple years. As a result, the Celtics needed to get under the second apron, especially given Jayson Tatum‘s injury. On top of these penalties, tax payments skyrocket when you are a second-apron team. With the Porziņģis and Holiday deals, Boston saved $180 million in tax payments and $27 million in net savings.

Porziņģis’ Value Was at an All-Time Low

Porziņģis’ value was expected to be low, so it’s not surprising the Celtics didn’t get much in return for him. Still, Niang is a solid rotational wing with the ability to space the floor. Porziņģis is on an expiring $30.7 million contract and has significant health concerns. He only played 42 games this past season and has only played more than 65 games twice in his career. During the playoffs, Porziņģis was battling a mysterious illness and looked like a shell of himself. He averaged just 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds on 31.6 shooting from the field.

Considering these factors, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Celtics didn’t get a ton of value for him. For the Hawks, it’s an intriguing gamble on an All-Star-level talent. Regardless, as stated before, getting under the second-apron makes this trade a clear win for Boston, and there’s no guarantee the 29-year-old big man will return to his best form.

The Last Word

With Tatum’s injury, Holiday, and Porziņģis being traded, the Celtics will look very different next year. While this trade doesn’t help them add significant talent like the Holiday-Simons deal, the financial benefits are clear, and Niang’s shooting makes him a solid fit in the Celtics system. Getting under the second apron could help the Celtics re-sign Al Horford and/or Luke Kornet. Boston could also look to draft a center at pick 28. The Celtics may trade Sam Hauser in a salary dump trade as their last financially based move. Ultimately, while Celtics fans may be disappointed by the return for Porziņģis, it was a trade that needed to be made for financial reasons.

 

Featured image: © John Jones-Imagn Images

The post Kristaps Porziņģis Trade Comes With an Obvious Benefit for the Celtics appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.

Filed Under: Nets

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • (no title)
  • The biggest reason Yankees will persevere through this June swoon
  • Mets’ teenage prospect enjoys career day at the plate
  • Mets tie Phillies at the top of the NL East standings without even taking the field on Thursday
  • Mets starting to see real Juan Soto as summer weather heats up

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • 247 Sports
  • Bleacher Report
  • Elite Sports NY
  • Empire Sports Media
  • Empire Writes Back
  • MSG Networks
  • New York Daily News
  • New York Times
  • New York Post
  • Newsday
  • OurSports Central
  • SNY - SportsNet New York
  • The Sports Daily
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WFAN Sports Radio
  • YES Network

Baseball

  • MLB.com - Yankees
  • MLB.com - Mets
  • Amazin Avenue
  • Last Word On Baseball - Mets
  • Last Word On Baseball - Yankees
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Yankees
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Mets
  • Rising Apple
  • Yanks Go Yard

Basketball

  • NBA.com - Knicks
  • NBA.com - Nets
  • Amico Hoops - Knicks
  • Amico Hoops - Nets
  • Daily Knicks
  • Hoops Hype - Knicks
  • Hoops Hype - Nets
  • Hoops Rumors - Knicks
  • Hoops Rumors - Nets
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - New York Knicks
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball - Brooklyn Nets
  • Nets Daily
  • Nets Wire
  • Nothing But Nets
  • Posting And Toasting
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Knicks
  • Pro Basketball Talk - Nets
  • Real GM - Knicks
  • Real GM - Nets

Football

  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
  • Big Blue Interactive
  • Big Blue View
  • Gang Green Nation
  • Giants Gab
  • Giants Wire
  • Gmen HQ
  • Jets Fix
  • Jets Gab
  • Jet Nation
  • Jets Wire
  • Last Word On Pro Football - New York Giants
  • Last Word On Pro Football - New York Jets
  • NFL Trade Rumors - Giants
  • NFL Trade Rumors - Jets
  • Our Turf Football - Giants
  • Our Turf Football - Jets
  • Pro Football Focus - Giants
  • Pro Football Focus - Jets
  • Pro Football Rumors - Giants
  • Pro Football Rumors - Jets
  • Pro Football Talk - Giants
  • Pro Football Talk - Jets
  • The Gang Green
  • The Jet Press
  • Total Giants
  • Total Jets
  • Turn On The Jets
  • Ultimate NYG

Hockey

  • All About The Jersey
  • Blue Line Station
  • Blue Shirt Banter
  • Elite Prospects - Devils
  • Elite Prospects - Islanders
  • Elite Prospects - Rangers
  • Eyes On Isles
  • Last Word On Hockey - Devils
  • Last Word On Hockey - Islanders
  • Last Word On Hockey - Rangers
  • Lighthouse Hockey
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Devils
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Islanders
  • Pro Hockey Rumors - Rangers
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Devils
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Islanders
  • Pro Hockey Talk - Rangers
  • Pucks And Pitchforks
  • The Hockey Writers - Devils
  • The Hockey Writers - Islanders
  • The Hockey Writers - Rangers

Soccer

  • Last Word on Soccer - NYC FC
  • Last Word on Soccer - Red Bulls
  • Last Word on Soccer - Sky Blue FC
  • MLS Multiplex - NYC FC
  • MLS Multiplex - Red Bulls
  • Once A Metro

Colleges

  • Against All Enemies
  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Forgotten 5
  • Inside The Loud House
  • Orange Fizz
  • Rumble In The Garden
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Daily Orange
  • The UConn Blog
  • Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
  • Zags Blog

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in