RJ

Luis

Luis was acquired in the deal that sent Georges Niang to Utah after he signed with the Jazz following going undrafted this summer. Luis will now search for a new organization, though this move won’t impact Boston’s rotation.

Not selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, Norris has spent most of his two professional seasons in the G League. He appeared in three games for the Celtics last season, averaging 2.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.7 minutes. Sunday’s transactions open up a two-way contract slot for the Celtics, days after the team acquired RJ Luis as part of a deal with the Jazz.

The Big East Player of the Year was electric at St. John’s last season, and he’ll look to keep the momentum going at the next level. Luis’ fantasy outlook actually improves with this move, as Boston is woefully thin at multiple positions. He has a chance to earn rotational minutes in his inaugural campaign.

The deal also sends two second-round picks from Boston to Utah as part of the deal. Moving Niang is just a financial move for the Celtics, but his departure thins out Boston’s rotation even further. Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman could see more playing time for the depleted Celtics. Niang’s role in Utah is more difficult to forecast, as the Jazz are already deep in the frontcourt.

While St. John’s coach Rick Pitino loaded up on transfers ahead of his second season with the program, his best player was one of the few returnees. Luis, who played one season at UMass before transferring to St. John’s, was one of the best players in college basketball in 2024-25. In 35 games, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.3 three-pointers, shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 74.7 percent from the foul line. In addition to being named Big East Player of the Year, the versatile Luis was a consensus All-American. Luis will compete for a spot in the rotation on a Utah squad that is loaded with recent first-round picks.