It's been an eventful offseason thus far for the Boston Celtics, who have traded 2024 NBA champions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as part of their effort to get under the second apron. In the Porzingis deal, which sent the Latvian big man to the Atlanta Hawks, the Celtics got back wing shooter Georges Niang.
As it happens, Niang has quite a history with the Celtics, most notably during the 2023 NBA playoffs, when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. During the second round series between those two teams, Niang drew the fury of the Celtics' fanbase when he appeared to grab Celtics star Jaylen Brown's knee on the sidelines during Game 7, which led to a brief skirmish between the two sides.
Celtics fans were quick to recall that memory when the team announced the trade for Niang–the reception wasn't exactly warm. However, Brown and Niang appear to have squashed their beef, if a recent photo posted by the Celtics of the two at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is any indication.
A vastly different Celtics squad
There's a real possibility that Georges Niang will start for the Celtics in 2025-26, at least to begin the year.
The only two guaranteed starters for Boston at this point are Brown and Derrick White. Jayson Tatum is expected to miss the entirety of the season with the torn Achilles injury he suffered in the second round this year against the New York Knicks. Holiday and Porzingis were the other two starters from last year's team and both are gone now.
Luke Kornet has departed for the San Antonio Spurs in free agency, and Al Horford is widely expected to follow him out the door.
It remains to be seen what kind of reception Niang will get from Celtics fans when his name is announced on opening night.
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