Former Iowa State Cyclones star Georges Niang was involved in a blockbuster three-team trade earlier this week, as he was dealt from the Atlanta Hawks to the Boston Celtics in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis back to the Hawks (the Brooklyn Nets were also involved).
Of course, the question is whether or not the Celtics will actually keep Niang, who is entering the final year of his contract and probably won’t be of much use to a Boston squad that doesn’t seem to plan on contending next season anyway (remember: Jayson Tatum is sidelined with a torn Achilles).
Taking that into consideration, Niang represents an obvious trade candidate for the Celtics, and there would absolutely be some contenders interested in adding the sharpshooting forward.
The 32-year-old split the 2024-25 NBA campaign between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Hawks, averaging 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds over 21.5 minutes per game on 46.1/40.6/79.3 shooting splits.
In this space-and-pace era, the 6-foot-7 Niang would absolutely represent a fine pickup for some team needing a stretch big, so there would definitely be interest in Niang should Boston actually make him available.
Niang spent four years at Iowa State between 2012-13 and 2015-16, registering 16.1 points, 5.2 boards and 3.1 assists a night throughout his collegiate tenure. His best season came during his senior campaign, when he posted 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Lawrence, Ma. native was then selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft but spent just one season with the Pacers. He has also played for the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers.