Celtics make two big trade moves within minutes; spend millions on RJ Luis Jr, Chris Boucher

The Boston Celtics made two big moves to strengthen their frontcourt - adding rookie RJ Luis Jr and free agent forward Chris Boucher to their roster.

Published on: Aug 6, 2025, 02:56:21 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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The Boston Celtics have made two big offensive moves, within minutes, to strengthen their frontcourt - adding rookie RJ Luis Jr and free agent forward Chris Boucher to their roster. Joe Mazzulla and co have dealt recently-acquired Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Boston Celtics added RJ Luis Jr and Chris Boucher to their roster (X)

Charania added that Georges Niang’s contract will be absorbed into the Celtics’ sizable trade exception from the John Collins deal, giving Boston added salary flexibility under the league’s second apron threshold.

Niang, 32, departs for the Western Conference after a brief stint in Boston. The Massachusetts native joined the team just days after the 2024-25 season concluded. He and a future second-round pick were traded to the Celtics in a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, and Terance Mann and Drake Powell's trade rights to the Brooklyn Nets.

RJ Luis Jr, who went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, had an elite season in St John. The rookie averaged 18.2 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Chris Boucher addresses Boston's need in terms of size. They lost three of their key big man this summer. The 32-year-old has done well with the Toronto Raptors in the last few seasons. The veteran forward was the last member of the 2018-19 championship team.

Last season, he averaged 10.0 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.5 blocks while shooting 49.2 percent from the field.

Commenting on Boston's Tuesday moves, one fan tweeted: “So the Celtics basically traded Georges Niang and two second-round picks for Chris Boucher and RJ Luis Jr.”

“RJ Luis Jr is a Dominican kid who grew up in Miami. Played 1 year at UMass Amherst then the last 3 years at St John's. His senior year he played for Rick Pitino and was Big East Player Of The Year 👀🍿☘️” another one added on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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