Jrue Holiday Traded to the Boston Celtics
A new deal involves the Portland Trail Blazers once again. The franchise recently acquired Jrue Holiday in the wake of a three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. But, the sequence of events doesn’t end there, as Holiday becomes a part of another deal that sends him to the Boston Celtics. The 2023 NBA finalists welcome All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Blazers in exchange for a few key players. With the deal finalized, Nitrobetting goes over the important details of the deal and what’s in it for the 33-year-old guard.
Holiday Upping the Celtics’ Game on Both Ends
The Boston Celtics acquired All-Star guard and 2021 NBA Champion Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Celts let go of big man Robert Williams and guard Malcolm Brogdon to secure the deal on Sunday, October 1. Boston also added multiple draft picks to sweeten the deal. The draft picks include a 2024 first-rounder from the Golden State Warriors and a 2029 unprotected first-rounder from Boston.
This addition fills the void left by long-time Celtic Marcus Smart. Holiday, a pivotal player who helped lead the Bucks to their second-ever NBA championship in 2021, averages 16.4 points and 6.5 assists over 14 seasons in the league. He’s played with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Milwaukee Bucks before landing a gig in Boston. We expect his presence to add more defensive presence to the lineup.
Holiday is coming off proper averages in his final season with the Bucks. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists to go with a career-high 5.1 rebounds in 67 appearances. The veteran guard also has a $36.8 million cap in the final guaranteed season of a four-year-long, $135 million contract with a player option for the 2024-25 season. Reports say that the +175 Eastern Conference winners hope to extend his deal in their bid to another finals run.
Some say that the move cost Boston some depth when in fact it is unavoidable with a trade of similar stature. Nevertheless, Holiday raises the Celtics’ ceiling. He takes off questionable offensive remarks Smart was known for. Even though Holiday had some bland postseason runs, he’s clearly a more reliable player through and through. Furthermore, a comparison between Holiday and Brogdon puts the former ahead on paper.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla and +900 coach of the year favorite along with the rest of the organization needed to do something bold to keep their winning hopes burning. It wasn’t only Milwaukee that made its own power move since acquiring Lillard, but the Bucks made one that went in the favor of the Celtics. Holiday is on the same spectrum as Smart in terms of defending. But, what makes his introduction eagerly anticipated is his capacity to deliver offensively.
Boston’s backcourt massively improved over the summer. Let’s not forget that Kristaps Porzingis is also now a Celtic. Given that he stays healthy, we might witness the organization’s revenge season following their 2023 NBA Finals defeat in the hands of the Nuggets. Furthermore, they enter the 2023-24 campaign with an intimidating lineup that includes Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and the two summer additions, Porzingis and Holiday.
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