The Boston Celtics lost their starting point guard over the summer when they shipped Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal. Recent reports suggest that Boston will pursue a potential trade for Jrue Holiday, a two-time All-Star and NBA champion who could replace a lot of what Smart brought to the table.
Holiday was just moved to Portland in a blockbuster trade that paired Damian Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. The three-team deal also sent Deandre Ayton to the Trail Blazers and Jusuf Nurkic to the Phoenix Suns.
According to Celtics writer Adam Himmelsbach, Boston is “expected to explore the possibility of trading for Jrue Holiday.” Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Blazers will immediately look to move Holiday elsewhere. The team is fully committed to rebuilding around their young backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons, along with other promising pieces.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers & Boston Celtics Updates
The Celtics are far from alone in the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes. Various reports have linked Miami, Toronto, Philadelphia, Golden State, and Chicago to Holiday. The 33-year-old point guard could swing the pendulum for a contender, and teams around the league seem to know it.
On Bally Sports’ The Rally, NBA insider Shams Charania discussed Holiday’s future and his potential trade suitors.
“Portland is going to be active over the next several days – right before Media Day on Monday – to find a new landing spot, rerouting Jrue Holiday to another team,” Charania reported. “I would expect a bevy of contenders to have a level of interest in a guy like Jrue Holiday. You’re talking about a champion in 2021 with the Bucks, an elite two-way player. Teams like Miami, Toronto, Boston… those are the types of teams I would expect you can look at as potential suitors.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers & Boston Celtics Updates
For the Celtics to make the money in a Holiday deal work, they would need to offload Malcolm Brogdon and multiple contracts, per Matt John of Heavy Sports. Only time will tell if Boston decides to pull the trigger and go for Holiday.
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