Celtics swap Niang for Boucher in quick roster shake-up

Fans were left wondering how Brad Stevens will further address his frontcourt as the Boston Celtics prepare for a season without Jayson Tatum when it was revealed that the team was moving Georges Niang, a newly acquired combo player, and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for RJ Luis Jr. However, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, that wonder only lasted a few minutes since the C's quickly turned around and signed long-time Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher to a one-year, $3.3 million contract, adding a familiar face from the Eastern Conference to their bench.

Originally acquired in a three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets that also included Kristaps Porzingis and Terance Mann, Niang looked like the sort of connecting 3-and-D forward who could play alongside Jaylen Brown now and Tatum in the future as a viable top-8 player on a very good team.