Celtics favored to land recently acquired Blazers G Jrue Holiday
Twenty-four hours after the Milwaukee Bucks dealt him in a three-team deal to land Damian Lillard, guard Jrue Holiday may be on the move again.
It’s funny how things end up working out in time.
Entering the offseason, the Boston Celtics had a need for stability in the front court and a logjam at guard. The solution culminated in the trading of fan favorite guard Marcus Smart for the oft-injured slender big Kristaps Porzingis.
Fast forward to present-day, late September; the Celtics, now considered to have a logjam of quality big men and a potential need for a third point guard, are considered the betting favorites to obtain the services of five-time All-Defensive team guard Jrue Holiday.
Holiday, 33, spent the past three seasons as the No. 3 in Milwaukee to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, averaging 18.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. He also shot the three-ball the best he ever has anywhere (39.5%) and made his second All-Star team.
The two-way guard has one guaranteed season left on his current contract as well as a player option for next year, totaling approximately $72 million.
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What puts the Celtics in a bind is, because of Holiday’s $34 million cap hit in 2023-24, they’d be unable to trade for Holiday without parting with one of G Malcolm Brogdon or one of the big men, Robert Williams III or Al Horford.
Considering the skill set of Holiday, it’s reasonable to suggest that he’s the best player, and best fit for the roster, among the four. He also very much adequately replaces Marcus Smart, who sometimes shot like a man with Holiday’s efficiency despite not — much to the chagrin of even the most die-hard Smart Celtics fans over the years.
However, the Celtics already have Derrick White slated as the starting point guard, with the reining sixth man of the year Brogdon as his back-up. Not to mention the expected increase of forward Jayson Tatum’s role as a primary playmaker.
Should the Celtics end up with Holiday, the likely rotation would be something similar to as follows:
Jrue Holiday PG
Derrick White SG
Jaylen Brown SF
Jayson Tatum PF
Kristaps Porzingis C
Al Horford/Robert Williams III C
Malcolm Brogdon/Payton Pritchard G
Oshae Brissett F
Sam Hauser F
Svi Mykhailiuk G/F
Jordan Walsh F
Delano Banton G
J.D. Davison G
Lamar Stevens F
Hypothetical Trade:
Celtics trade one of Horford/Williams, one of Pritchard/Brogdon, Luke Kornet and draft picks for Holiday.
This truly speaks volumes to the kind of depth the Celtics have at their disposal.
Sure, dealing Brogdon to get Holiday doesn’t exactly solve the problem of the team needing *another* guard, but it does raise the ceiling considerably given Holiday’s two-way ability.
Does it happen? Who knows — perhaps would be more likely should Holiday get bought out. That said, the Celtics are certainly among the best positioned to make that caliber of deal.
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