Copyright MassLive
BOSTON — Former Celtics forward Georges Niang was all smiles in the Jazz locker room on Monday night. The Massachusetts native is still waiting to make his debut with his new team after suffering a left foot injury this offseason in the wake of a one month summer stint with the Celtics. The Jazz acquired Niang on August 9 from Boston, less than one month after the Celtics landed the forward as part of a three-team deal with the Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis. On Monday night, Niang reflected on joining the team he grew up rooting for. “It was the summer so like nobody was really in town,” Niang said. “I got a little time with Summer League. It was brief. I’m from here, I live here. Other than that, it was just the business aspect of changing jerseys and being on the move from there.” The Celtics likely could have used Niang and his 3-point shooting prowess at power forward on this roster. However, his $8.2 million salary made him a cost casualty of a Boston team that was still deep in the repeater tax after trading away Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. The Celtics included two second-round picks in the deal with the Jazz to help clear Niang’s salary from the books, a move that Brad Stevens made clear was a reality to Niang upon arriving. That reality did not prevent Niang’s friends and family from getting excited about the prospect of him suiting up in green. “I mean you can only imagine how that looked like,” Niang said of initially landing with the Celtics. “Obviously they were excited but you know, like I said, this is a business, so you can’t like — my best advice to anybody is don’t let your emotions get in the way of business.” Niang then got candid about the reality of the business that saw him get traded three times over a six-month period. “We played it as a game growing up for free, but this is a business and there’s some business things that have to happen that you know a lot of people don’t understand,” Niang said. “It’s how the cookie crumbles. I play basketball for a living. I’m completely blessed. I don’t dislike the city of Boston. This is my home. I grew up rooting for this team, but obviously I have a different employer and that’s who I’m in love with or whatever you wanna call it.” Niang, who is in the final year of his contract, expects to compete for minutes off the bench in Utah once he’s cleared to return from his foot injury. He originally spent four seasons in Utah from 2017-2021 after being drafted in the second round by the Pacers in 2016 but will likely be a trade candidate again at the deadline as the Jazz continue to rebuild.
