Insider Reveals One Celtics Trade That Convinced Him Boston Is Tanking
The Boston Celtics have had a whirlwind of an offseason.
The Celtics made a multitude of moves this offseason that will undoubtedly alter the way they play this season. The Celtics lost four key players to their roster: two in free agency and two via trade.
One of their most significant losses was Kristaps Porzingis. A few days after the 2024-25 season concluded, the Celtics traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for veteran forward Georges Niang.
However, the Celtics had no intention of keeping Niang, which is why they traded him to the Utah Jazz for RJ Luis Jr. and an $8 million trade exception in August.
Acquiring a player like Niang may not seem like much, but NBA insider Chris Mannix believes trading Niang was the moment he knew the Celtics would be tanking this season.
"If they had not traded [Georges] Niang, I might have been able to get on board with you," said Mannix.
"Niang is a serviable NBA player. He's been on winning teams before, but they traded him for nothing just to get out of that contract."
Niang is not a player who is franchise-altering, nor is he an impactful player to the level of a certain NBA role player, but he could have been of solid use for a Celtics team that could use all the help they could get.
The 32-year-old is able to stretch the floor, has a high basketball IQ and is an effective forward off the bench. That's been the case throughout his entire basketball career, but the Celtics did not give him a shot this upcoming season.
In his career, Niang has been solid, averaging 7.4 points per game, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three in 544 games.
Niang has played for five teams in his NBA career, and the Jazz will now be his sixth team over the course of his 10-year NBA career.
Celtics Gap Year?
The Celtics don’t enter this season with high expectations, especially with superstar forward Jayson Tatum likely sidelined by an Achilles injury.
Still, with championship-winning head coach Joe Mazzulla and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown leading the way, Boston has the pieces to surprise a lot of people.
Shaq’s Bold Take on Luka Doncic Angers Lakers Fans
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal does not believe Luka Doncic, 26, is a better player than LeBron James, 40, entering the 2025-26 season, despite the 14-year age gap between the Los Angeles Lakers teammates.
Shaq took it a step further by suggesting that even Giannis Antetokounmpo, 30, is not currently a better player than James.
The four-time NBA champion made the bold claim while participating in an interactive session with Overtime, wherein he was asked to break a stick every time he heard the name of a player better than James. The list also included Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns, San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Ranks SGA Higher than LeBron
When the interviewer spelled out the name of Giannis, Shaq nearly broke the stick, but held back on doing so.
“Who’s next?” Shaq asked, prompting the interviewer to ask about Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shaq would instantly snap the stick in half while nodding his head.
“He’s the MVP,” Shaq said when asked why he broke the stick. “He had a great year. I don’t know about the greatest-ever season, but he had a great year.”
To O’Neal’s point, SGA became only the fourth player in NBA history to win the scoring title, MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan (x3) and himself.
Lakers Fans Unhappy
The former four-time champion’s decision not to rank Doncic higher than James angered many Lakers fans on social media.
“luka is better than bron rn lmfao be fr,” wrote one fan.
“did shaq even watch Lakers games last year? asked one fan.
While most fans disagreed with Shaq, one user backed his decision.
“Until LeBron retires, no one is better than him,” he wrote.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds at 51/38/78 shooting splits. The consistent showing earned him a spot in the All-NBA Second Team, making him the oldest player to earn the accolade. The honor also essentially established James as a top-10 player at the age of 40 — unprecedented in NBA history.
Meanwhile, Doncic led all Lakers in scoring (28.2 points) and rebounds (8.1) and was second in assists (7.5) at 43/38/79 shooting splits. While his and James’ numbers were nearly identical, the latter was significantly better defensively. As such, Shaq may not be completely off the mark to list James ahead of Doncic entering the new NBA season.
While most fans disagreed with Shaq, one user backed his decision.
Doncic put up better counting stats than James in the playoffs, averaging 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists, but the latter shot the ball more efficiently. However, the Slovenian guard was once again a defensive liability, much like he was in the regular season, which soured many analysts about Doncic’s desire to win an NBA title.
If James does prove to be better than Doncic in the 2025-26 season, it would bode well for the Lakers’ chances to hang Banner No. 18.
