BRIGHTON, Mass. — The Celtics made their second blockbuster move just days before the start of training camp, landing Jrue Holiday from the Trail Blazers.
Once again, the Celtics elected to pull the right trigger, parting ways with Malcolm Brogdon who presumably grew irritated with the organization, and Robert Williams III who never established himself beyond a role player. Then there were the two future first-round draft picks that added to Boston’s trading chips pile, best reserved for a trade acquisition as such anyway.
Milwaukee’s blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard inevitably positioned the Bucks to create the perfect storm for the Celtics to swoop in and bolster their roster simultaneously. That’s the first step in winning this trade. The second, it’s pretty simple; retain Holiday on a long-term contract extension to assure commitment while Boston’s championship window remains open.
And from the sounds of it, Holiday is a guard the C’s envision being a part of that title chase for years to come.
“We wanted him here for a long time and when the time comes and we’re allowed to talk about those types of things,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Wednesday during Holiday’s introductory press conference. “This is something that we hope can be a longtime relationship, obviously beyond these years of the contract. We still have a few months to go before we can get too deep into that stuff.”
Holiday’s current deal includes a player option for 2024, which he may exercise before turning 33 and becoming an unrestricted free agency in 2025. But it would be good for the Celtics to anticipate Holiday’s free agency early and decide on a long-term agreement, as Boston did with Kristaps Porzingis.
Despite doing absolutely nothing, Boston was still given the chance of a lifetime to sign one of the league’s top defensive guards. Not every company receives it on a daily basis, so when it does, it shouldn’t be taken for granted.After parting ways with Marcus Smart, the Celtics found a scoring improvement with championship-winning expertise rather than settling for a downgrade to fill the vacuum.
“Once I ended up getting traded here, that’s what I was committed to,” Holiday explained Wednesday. “Again, a team who’s been close to winning championships, who has those banners up there and has one covered because of how rich this organization is and winning is. … I thought I had a chance of that in Milwaukee, it happened. Now I have the same chance and winning is the most important thing to me.”
Holiday has earned three NBA Teammate of the Year accolades, which is the icing on top of an already excellent Celtics addition. Holiday is not only well-regarded by his peers for his individual efforts on the court, but also for how he conducts himself throughout a season.
Stevens remarked of Holiday, “The idea of competitive character means so much. Not just for myself as an individual, but also for the team. And he, in my opinion, brings it better than anybody else. Simply put, I think infectious.
