According to reports, the Boston Celtics are looking for some cost relief by severing some of their championship core.
Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the Celtics are sending guard Julius Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in return for two second-round selections and Anfernee Simons.
According to Brian Robb of MassLive, the two second-round selections are a 2031 Blazers selection and a 2030 Knicks pick.
Holiday, who the team first acquired from Milwaukee in the 2023 Damian Lillard trade and later transferred to Boston for a deal that featured two first-round selections to the Blazers, is being aggressively pursued by Portland in an attempt to re-acquire him, Charania stated on X.Simons signs a deal with Boston that expires.
Holiday, 35, was a member of the Celtics for two seasons. His October 2023 trade from Portland elevated an already formidable Boston roster to new heights.
Holiday, a superb backcourt defender who gave Boston some championship experience, was instrumental in the Celtics’ 2024 championship run. He drew difficult defensive assignments and averaged 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game during the 2024 playoffs.
Last season, Jrue Holiday made a strong argument for MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, in my opinion.He made big play after huge play and averaged 18.5 PTS, 7.3 REBS, and 5.8 ASTS.Among his tenurepic, this was my favorite and will always be memorable.https://twitter.com/YdVQLvrrMg
This past season, he played in 62 games for Boston, averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per contest.
Holiday, who in April 2024 signed a four-year, $135 million deal with the Celtics, was originally expected to be a long-term mainstay during Boston’s contention window.
However, it was clear that the organization needed to cut salaries because Boston might have to deal with a bridge year in 2025–2026 when Jayson Tatum had an Achilles injury and the Celtics had to drop below the NBA’s luxury tax threshold this summer.
Following Boston’s 2024–25 season ending in the second round, Holiday told reporters, “We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again.” Our team has incredible skill, in my opinion, both on the court and in the coaching staff, all the way up to Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations for the Celtics. Thus, the chance to win is now, and I still wish to participate.
According to NBA cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics are lowering their impending tax penalties by about $41 million by removing Holiday’s contract off the books, even if Boston is only cutting their payroll by $4.1 million by dealing Holiday and taking on Simons’ expiring contract ($27.6 million).
Given that contract is about to expire, it is unclear if Simons will be considered in Boston’s future plans. However, the 26-year-old guard averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game for Portland during the previous campaign.
Simons may join Jaylen Brown as a key member of Boston in 2025–2026 as a result of Tatum’s injury.
“Stevens and the Celtics still have a lot of work to do when it comes to retooling this roster and clearing more cap space, even after dealing Holiday,” Charania said on X.Jrue Holiday, who was instrumental in Boston’s 2024 NBA title, was traded to the Celtics to start an incredibly busy offseason.
According to insiders, the Celtics are still negotiating trades for a number of important players on the team.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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