A Nice Bit Of Business
Chris Boucher fills a void
About a month ago we suggested the Celtics couldn’t possibly stand pat as currently constructed. Sure enough, Brad Stevens provided a bit of validation in the form of an early August swap that effectively traded Georges Niang and a couple of second rounders to Utah for a 2-way rookie named R.J. Luis Jr. and roughly $43 million in luxury tax savings. (Thanks, Austin!)
While this was obviously a hefty financial return on the expiring contract of the Methuen Minivan, the C’s weren’t content to merely pocket the savings. Thanks to that extra elbow room between the first and second tax apron, Stevens signed free agent Chris Boucher who immediately leaps to the top of their big man depth chart.
The deal effectively becomes Niang + 2 second rounders for Boucher and breathing room under the tax. It may not move the needle all that much in the standings, but the Celtics are in a better place than they were yesterday in part because they possess infinitely more wiggle room under the second apron. All it cost was a player who didn’t fit and a couple of second rounders no one will miss. A nice bit of business, as they say.
