Jrue Holiday’s brief stint as a member of the Trail Blazers organization appears to be over. In a move many expected to come following the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, Holiday has been shipped off to Boston for a package of picks and players.
In exchange for the 33 year old guard, Portland will receive Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Golden State’s 2024 1st rounder, and Boston’s unprotected 2029 1st round pick. The Warriors pick was originally sent to Memphis as part of the 2019 D’Angelo Russell sign and trade deal, before being acquired by Boston in the Marcus Smart trade.
Many around the league view Holiday as a natural replacement for Smart’s defensive tenacity, as he joins a core of Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White.
The former UCLA Bruin averaged 19.3pts/5.1reb/7.4ast per game across 67 contests with Milwaukee last year. Holiday also shot 38.4% from the 3 point line, and 47.9% from the field.
A 2x NBA All-Star, Holiday bolsters an already formidable Celtics lineup which is looking for its first championship since the 2007-08 season.
With the departure of Williams in the deal, the Celtics front office is putting a tremendous amount of faith in the long term health of Porzingis and Al Horford this year. Horford is 37 years old, while Porzingis has only averaged 54 games played over the past 4 campaigns.
Between Lillard heading to Milwaukee, and now Holiday heading to Boston, the biggest losers in the flurry of offseason moves have to be the Heat and the Sixers who are left watching their competitors bolster their rosters while their own take steps backwards. Miami lost two starters from last year’s Finals run, while Philadelphia continues to exist in limbo in terms of the ongoing James Harden saga.
With the East as wide open as it currently is, Milwaukee and Boston have both made championship calibre swings, while the other powers that be have come up largely empty.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
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