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Sixers’ Georges Niang Reacts to Donovan Mitchell Trade

Sixers forward Georges Niang reacted to his former teammate getting traded on Thursday.

Justin Grasso

Sixers’ Georges Niang Reacts to Donovan Mitchell Trade
Sixers’ Georges Niang Reacts to Donovan Mitchell Trade /
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Like most NBA fans and players, Philadelphia 76ers veteran Georges Niang was on social media on Thursday afternoon checking out the league’s latest big move.

After months of speculation that the Utah Jazz could trade their star guard Donovan Mitchell, they finally found a trade suitor willing to part ways with a desired package.

The Jazz sent Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In exchange, Utah landed Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, and Collin Sexton, who inked a brand new four-year deal in the process. In addition, the Jazz netted three first-round picks and will swap two future selections with the Cavs.

Georges Niang Reacts

Not too long ago, Niang was a member of the Jazz himself. After Niang spent one season on the Indiana Pacers’ roster as a second-round pick in 2016, Niang landed with the Jazz, working his way up onto the main roster from a two-way contract and splitting time in the G League. 

Eventually, Niang became a key reserve coming off Utah’s bench. For a few seasons, Niang was on Utah’s roster with their now-former star duo, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

After the Jazz struggled to make a significant impact in the playoffs this past postseason, Utah started moving in a different direction and is clearly embarking on a rebuild.

Their first big move this offseason was to trade away the All-Star big man, Rudy Gobert. After sending Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah’s front office focused on dealing away Mitchell for a haul.

It took a while, but the Jazz finally found a package they liked. Now, Utah is loaded with draft picks for years to come and will be one of the latest NBA teams to signal a full-on rebuild, similar to the Sixers’ Sam Hinkie era, where they prioritized building on a future rather than competing for a title immediately. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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