Behind the Celtic Eagles Trading: Typical cyclical interleaving transactions, the former values ​​the future and the latter focuses on the present

June 25th News With the 2025 NBA Draft approaching, the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks completed a noticeable tripartite deal: Christaps Porzingis was sent to the Hawks, while the Celtics got George Nyan and a second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets. Although this deal is not as sensational as the star swap, it is worthy of in-depth analysis because of its strategic intentions.

This article will comprehensively analyze the gains and losses of the Celtics and the Hawks in this transaction from five aspects: trading background, lineup adjustment, salary structure, tactical adaptation and future development.

1. Transaction background: Different choices under real pressure

For the Celtics, the starting point of this transaction is "wage pressure" - after Tatum's Achilles tendon tear was confirmed to be reimbursed for the season, the Boston management had to face reality and choose strategic contraction. As a team that has been at the forefront of the championship in the past two years, the Celtics' salary structure has become extremely bloated. Porzingis' annual salary of up to $30 million next season is an unavoidable obstacle.

On the other hand, the Hawks are trying to reshape the core of the lineup. The Trae Young era has entered a bottleneck period. The team has tried many times to restart the championship track by changing head coaches and adjusting supporting role structures. The embarrassing record of ranking 10th in the Eastern Conference last season forced the management to bet once - bet Porzingis could become Trae Young's partner, and also bet that his medical team could make breakthroughs in their health management.

2. Lineup structure adjustment: each need

For the Celtics, although Porzingis' departure weakened the forward height and space ability, George Nian's joining can provide a certain degree of range replacement. Although Nian does not have the ability to protect the basket and pick-and-roll finishing skills of Posses, he is an experienced space-type four-position with a career three-point shooting percentage of nearly 40%.

Considering that the Celtics currently have many starting players such as Derek White, Anthony Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Horford, etc., the team does not pursue the ultimate combat power at this stage, but hopes to lay the foundation for the restart after Tatum's return in the 2026-27 season by reducing the lineup costs.

In contrast, the arrival of Porzingis provides a double benefit at the tactical level: one is to provide Trae Young with a real high-quality pick-and-roll partner, and the Pole can both end down and bounce out to open up space; the other is to give way to Okonwu, who was forced to take the No. 5 position for many years and is now expected to return to a more suitable No. 4 position. Coupled with Jalen Johnson's growth, the Eagles' inside structure tends to be reasonable.

3. Salary level considerations: careful calculation and active risk

The Celtics chose to trade Porzingis not to question their ability, but to avoid the "second tyrant line". Under the new labor-capital agreement, touching the second rich line will lead to serious punishments such as prohibition of signing and exchange, inability to use MLE, and transaction restrictions.

On the premise that Tatum is basically unable to compete for the championship due to his injury for one year, the Celtics will move the reconstruction window forward for one year to avoid bearing the high luxury tax burden for a season without a championship. More importantly, Boston wants to retain some of the flexibility to quickly restart after Tatum returns in 2026.

, while the Hawks chose to take risks - with one year left in the contract and the risk of injury is high, the core idea is to "maintain battle with war": improve the overall combat power through the arrival of Porzingis, and strive for a higher pick playoff spot in the context of the dispute between the heroes in the east, thereby attracting more lineups to strengthen the possibility.

4. Tactical adaptation and play style integration: Challenges from theory to practice

The joining of Porzingis will greatly change the Hawks' offensive method. Previously, the Hawks relied too much on Trey Young's ball-holding creation, and the Pony God's pick-and-roll pull-up and fixed-point shooting ability meant that the Hawks could perform more two-person tactics to reduce Young's ball-holding load.

In addition, although Boss is not an elite basket protector on the defensive end, his assisted defense judgment and height coverage make him more flexible than Clint Capela. Especially in the context of modern basketball requiring the No. 5 position to be mobile, Bosss is more in line with the trend.

Celtics, George Nian is a typical "low ball usage rate, high efficiency" player, good at landing at the bottom corner or weak side receiving 45 degrees. Although it cannot replace the functions of Posses' organization and low-level offensive, for an offensive system dominated by the outside line, Nian's simple playing style is better integrated into the system.

5. Who is closer to long-term success in the future?

The Celtics' deal sends a clear signal: the team chooses to clear the game for the future. They no longer pursue the championship in the 2025-26 season, but instead build a new lineup with Tatum as the core and built around young assets such as Brown, Simmons, and White. This not only avoids high short-term costs, but also makes room for personnel structure to lay the groundwork for possible big moves in the future.

For the Eagles, this is an attempt to "compress time costs". They know very well that Trae Young has entered his seventh year of his career. If he cannot prove his championship potential in the short term, the management will have to consider rebuilding or trading core. Therefore, the God of Wat is their "bargaining chip".

Conclusion, this is a typical "cyclical interleaving transaction".

One championship team entered the adjustment period due to injury, while another playoff team hovered on the edge raised bets and launched an attack. From the perspective of immediate benefits, the Hawks are expected to improve their overall competitiveness in the new season through this move; but from a long-term perspective, the Celtics' operations are more stable and more in line with the actual logic under the new labor-management system.

In the end, whether this transaction is a "win-win" still needs time to verify. But it will undoubtedly affect the trend of the eastern pattern in the next two years and deserves continued attention.