Georges Niang still hasn't suited up for his second tenure for the Utah Jazz, and now it's come out that he might not ever at this point. It turns out Niang could be traded by the Jazz, which only begs one question: why did the Jazz get him back in the first place?
Dallas Hoops Journal's Grant Afseth revealed that because the Jazz plan to tank, Niang is among the players the team could trade before the deadline.
"Utah’s primary focus is retaining its top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick, which would otherwise convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources tell DallasHoopsJournal.com. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George remain franchise cornerstones, while Kyle Anderson, Jusuf Nurkić, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang are viewed as trade candidates," Afseth wrote.
If that's what the Jazz want to do, fair enough. They are in deep trouble if they wind up not only missing the playoffs, but also not getting a lottery pick for their troubles. They don't want to take that risk, so don't be surprised if some of (if not all) the aforementioned veterans are off the team by February.
However, when they acquired Niang, it was to have both one of the NBA's best shooters and a veteran presence in the locker room. Doing so also did the Boston Celtics a massive favor because they were trying to get off Niang's deal to save money.
Not only did Utah do a massive favor for Boston, but they didn't really get much for their troubles. So if the plan is to trade Niang away, why get him back in the first place?
One theory for why the Jazz brought Niang back
Outside of what has already been confirmed, the Jazz brought him back because they thought they were going to be legit this season. At first glance, you could laugh at that statement but we must remember that one, Austin Ainge promised fans wouldn't see a repeat of what they saw last season, and two, Walker Kessler's season-ending surgery got in the way in what looked like him taking another leap.
Had Kessler not gotten shelved, the Jazz might be in a much different place right now. Jusuf Nurkic has done about the best he can do in Kessler's place, but the difference between the two is painfully noticeable. As it turns out, not having one of the league's best rim protectors and offensive rebounders makes a huge difference in how your season turns out,
Because Kessler was out early, the Jazz have been forced to be realistic about this team's outlook this season. Maybe they were more comfortable giving up that pick to OKC before the season if they believed the team was playoff-bound, and with Kessler, they may very well have been. Without him, they're not, which is why Utah will tank, and why Niang might be gone before he donned a Jazz jersey again.
In hindsight, the move may look more questionable, but if the Jazz thought the playoffs were on the table, then it's a little more defensible.