We really do have a double-headed monster in the East now. The Boston Celtics are sitting on their hands idly after the Damian Lillard trade as they have made a BLOCKBUSTER move with the Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday.
This is going to be a bloodbath to the end.
After the huge trade the Milwaukee Bucks made with the Trail Blazers to bring in Damian Lillard, their chief East rivals in the Boston Celtics have gone out and made a huge move of their own as they also made a deal with the Trail Blazers to bring in Giannis’ former partner-in-crime: Jrue Holiday. And, even though the trade price was high, this deal was most definitely worth it.
So, for those who haven’t seen the trade details yet, the Boston Celtics just got Jrue Holdiay from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, a 2024 1st round pick, and a 2029 1st round pick. A pretty great deal, right?
Sure, losing Robert Williams III is a huge loss for the C’s as he not only was one of the younger and developing players on the team (he’s 25), but he was also the stalwart defender on the Celtics frontcourt defense with him anchoring down the center spot against the very best centers in the league. Although, given the fact he’s only played in 60+ games once (2021/22: 61) in his five-year career and has played in 35 or less games three times (2018/19: 32, 2019/20: 29, and 2022/23: 35), his loss in the regular season won’t be any worse than it already is with his injures.
Okay, jokes aside, losing Robert Williams III is a big blow. But the rest of the pieces? I don’t think anyone will miss them.
Malcolm Brogdon was the 6th Man of the Year and averaged 14.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 0.7 SPG, but he never really did fit in with the Celtics organization and the culture and was reportedly upset about being the subject of trade rumors. And, does anyone really care about 1st round picks when their team is in a win-now mode?
So, I really think the price for obtaining Holdiay’s services was more than worth it given how much of a boost he will give the backcourt. For the last 3-4 years, the Celtics have been crying out for a starting, playoff-proven point guard as they’ve been fiddling around with Derrick White, Marcus Smart, and Malcolm Brogdon at the 1-spot.
And, even though it was successful with the Celtics deep playoff runs to the Conference Finals and NBA Finals these last three years, they haven’t been able to get over the hump and have been seriously hurt by the opposing team’s point guards (Warriors’ Steph Curry, Heat’s Gabe Vincent, Bucks’ Jrue Holiday, etc.), but now they have their man.
Not only does Holiday finally serve the traditional assist-making point guard role with him having a 3-season career high with 7.4 APG last year, but he also has been a 5X All-Defensive 1st team player and was an integral part of the Bucks’ 2021 NBA championship. Simply put, he’s a BONIFIED WINNER the Celtics HAVE NOT HAD at all under their renaissance.
Of course, this will take a toll on the Celtics future as they have practically traded away all of their draft picks and have gotten significantly older by bringing in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but that’s what you need to do when you want to win a championship and compete with the best of the best.
You need experience, and that’s what Jrue Holiday brings.
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