The Boston Celtics continued wheeling and dealing on Tuesday, trading Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. The Brooklyn Nets will acquire Terance Mann and Atlanta's No. 22 pick as part of a three-team framework, while the Celtics receive Georges Niang and a second-round pick, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
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 little more than a salary dump for Boston. Georges Niang is a nice shooter off the bench, but Boston already has a few of those. Porzingis was incredible during Boston's title run, but he spent a good chunk of last season injured. Once the playoffs arrived, he was overcome by a mysterious illness, which dramatically impacted his play in Boston's second round loss to New York.
For Atlanta, this is incredible value. Porzingis' expiring $30.7 million contract is both affordable and free of long-term risk. The Hawks do sacrifice a first-round pick, but Atlanta got off of Terance Mann's contract and still has the No. 13 pick in its back pocket, so this is a nice piece of business. Assuming Porzingis is back to full strength when the regular season rolls around, he will have a profound impact on both ends of the floor.
Here's how the lineup shakes out post-trade.
Projected Hawks lineup with Kristaps Porzingis brought in as Clint Capela's replacement
Position | Name |
|---|---|
PG | Trae Young |
SG | Dyson Daniels |
SF | Zaccharie Risacher |
PF | Jalen Johnson |
C | Kristaps Porzingis |
Porzingis effectively replaces Clint Capela, who is slated to depart Atlanta in free agency. His arrival pushes Onyeka Okongwu back to the second unit, but we should see plenty of two-big lineups, with Okongwu mobile enough to defend in space and operate as a rim-running force while Porzingis bombs 3s.
Atlanta has felt like an exercise in futility ever since that magical 2021 conference finals run. This trade at least puts them back on the map. The East is as weak as it's ever been, with Boston, Indiana and Milwaukee all falling out of contention due to injuries. It's too extreme to say Atlanta is a bonafide contender, but this lineup — with a solid bench group and a lottery pick on the way — should inspire some level of confidence.
Porzingis is still an elite rim protector, having averaged 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game last season. His durability is a huge limiting factor, but if Atlanta can remain relatively healthy, there's a good chance this team wins more games than expected.
In addition to Porzingis' gaping wingspan and elite ground coverage on the backline, Atlanta will have a DPOY candidate in Dyson Daniels hounding the perimeter, along with Zaccharie Risacher coming into his own with an improved frame and the benefit of NBA experience. This should help Atlanta cover for Trae Young on defense.
Meanwhile, the pick-and-pop actions with Young and Porzingis will leave defenses in constant flux. Young is among the most potent pull-up shooters in the NBA, with the quickness to squeeze through gaps and burst to the rim when a lane opens up. Porzingis has the deepest 3-point range of any NBA center. He will force rim protectors out of the paint and feast on a steady stream of setups from Young.
This is an impressively balanced group on both ends. It's easy enough to write off Atlanta as a pretender, but this front office clearly has designs on winning games in 2026. Porzingis isn't quite the rim-runner Clint Capela was in his prime, but he's going to add a new dynamic with his shooting. Plus, he's one of the NBA's most efficient post scorers. Atlanta just opened up a bunch of fun wrinkles, and we know Quin Snyder can build a suffocating defense when he has the component parts.
Put the Hawks on your radar.