It didn’t take long for the Boston Celtics to respond to the Milwaukee Bucks’ acquisition of Damian Lillard as they landed Jrue Holiday in a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Celtics sent out Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and draft assets to the Trail Blazers to add Holiday and shored up their backcourt rotation in the process.
Boston previously shipped out Marcus Smart in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, so they’ve essentially replaced him with Holiday who is just as good of a defender.
Despite a lackluster playoff showing, Holiday is a legitimate needle-mover who gives the Celtics another proven player that can fill several needs on the court.
While Milwaukee is likely still considered the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, Boston closed any gap and have great odds themselves.
The Celtics are all-in at this point on chasing the franchise’s 18th championship and legends like Paul Pierce expressed their excitement over the move via his Twitter account.
That escalated quickly letsssss goooooooooooo
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) October 1, 2023
As Pierce notes, Boston clearly felt the urgency to make a move and they pulled off a big one as Holiday was coveted by several teams.
Teams like the New York Knicks and Miami Heat poked around, but the Celtics decided to cash in some of their chips to grab the All-Defense point guard.
It also makes for an interesting rivalry as there’s a good chance that Holiday runs into his former team in the playoffs.
A potential Milwaukee-Boston postseason matchup would be must-see television and fans have to be hoping it comes to fruition.
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Analyst Sees 1 Issue In Celtics Trading For Jrue Holiday
