Per NBA.com, the Boston Celtics have acquired All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers, as announced by the team on a Sunday afternoon. This trade comes on the heels of a blockbuster deal that saw Holiday initially moved to the Blazers in exchange for the All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who joined the Milwaukee Bucks.
The details of the trade are as follows:
Celtics receive:
- Jrue Holiday
Blazers receive:
- Malcolm Brogdon
- Robert Williams
- 2024 1st-round pick (via Warriors)
- 2029 unprotected 1st-round pick (via Celtics)
This trade marks a significant shift in the NBA landscape, with Boston securing one of the league’s premier defensive guards in Jrue Holiday. The seasoned guard boasts an impressive resume, including five All-Defensive selections, with a first-team nod in the previous season. Holiday has been a consistent presence on defensive player of the year ballots for the past three years, showcasing his defensive prowess.
Holiday’s arrival in Boston fills the starting point guard role that had been occupied by Marcus Smart in recent seasons. Smart, however, was part of an earlier offseason trade that sent him to Memphis in a three-team deal that also involved the Washington Wizards, ultimately bringing Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
At 33 years old, Jrue Holiday’s career has seen a resurgence, highlighted by his All-Star selection last year, a decade after his previous one. He is coming off an impressive season, where he averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists, surpassing his career averages of 16.4 points and 6.5 assists.
This trade signifies the culmination of a complex series of moves that saw Jrue Holiday initially traded to the Blazers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and a considerable amount of future draft assets. The Trail Blazers’ acquisition of Holiday is part of their broader strategy to rebuild, having already acquired Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara as part of the deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Bucks.
Jrue Holiday, who played a pivotal role in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 NBA Championship victory, has proven to be a force on the court. His contributions during the championship run included averages of 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 23 postseason starts. Shortly after clinching the NBA Finals, Holiday added a Gold Medal to his collection at the Tokyo Olympics, where he teamed up with Celtics’ guard Jayson Tatum to represent Team USA, contributing 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
