The Boston Celtics have made their second blockbuster trade of the NBA offseason.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that the Celtics acquired point guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for point guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams III, the Golden State Warriors' 2024 first-round pick (acquired in a previous trade) and Boston's unprotected 2029 first-rounder.
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That's a steep price to pay, but Holiday is an excellent two-way player with championship experience. The 33-year-old guard was traded to the Blazers on Wednesday as part of the deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Blazers were not expected to hold on to Holiday, and now they've acquired four quality assets for their ongoing rebuild.
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Holiday averaged 19.3 points per game and shot 38.4 percent from 3-point range last season. He also is one of the NBA's top perimeter defenders. The Bucks made a huge trade to acquire Holiday before the 2020-21 season and it resulted in a 2021 NBA Finals victory. The Celtics are hoping for the same result in 2024.
Brogdon was acquired by the Celtics in a trade with the Indiana Pacers last offseason. He won the league's Sixth Man of the Year Award but was less effective during the 2023 playoffs due to injury. Giving up Williams is tough for Boston because he is so athletic and gifted defensively. But his injury history is a concern, and the Celtics did acquire a star center earlier in the offseason in Kristaps Porzingis.
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The Celtics getting Holiday not only makes them a better team, it also keeps him away from other title contenders. The Philadelphia 76ers, for example, reportedly were among the teams with interest in Holiday.
Celtics Media Day is Monday, Oct., 2, with training camp set to begin Tuesday. So, Holiday has the chance to hit the ground running with his new team in Boston.
