Where could Celtics' Jrue Holiday land this offseason?
The Boston Celtics are at a bit of a crossroads after their title defense came up well short this postseason. Mix in an extremely bloated payroll and the uncertainty with Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, and the winds of change are blowing on Causeway Street.
While players remain confident they can compete for a championship without Tatum, who is out indefinitely and could miss the entire 2025-26 season, the Celtics will not be same next season. Boston is well into the second apron with only 11 players on the books, and Brad Stevens will likely be tasked with trimming some payroll before the organization's new ownership takes over. It will give the Celtics a chance to reset the books and potentially avoid some big penalties for the new guy further down the road.
But at what cost? Big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet are both free agents, and may have to play for free if they want to return to Boston. But to really shed some big bucks off the books, Stevens will have to trade either Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis -- or both. Dealing one should help Boston get under the second apron, and dealing both would get them under while allowing Stevens some wiggle room to build out the rest of the roster.
Porzingis has an expiring contract, which could entice teams this offseason. But he spent the bulk of his two playoff runs in Boston sidelined due to injuries and a mysterious illness this postseason, so it may take some convincing and a little sweetener from the Celtics to pull off a move.
Holiday, despite being 35 and owned over $100 million over the next three seasons, is expected to be a much more appealing acquisition for opposing teams this summer.
"Though Holiday dealt with lingering injuries throughout the regular season, his reputation as a known winner and top defender should interest several contending teams if the Celtics do look to move him, according to league sources," Jay King of The Athletic wrote last week after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Knicks.
It's easy to understand why teams would be so interested in Holiday. Though he averaged just 11.1 points per game (his lowest since his rookie season) and shot just 35.3 percent from three, he's a relentless defender with a championship pedigree. Holiday was the missing piece for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and the Celtics in 2024, and could prove to be the same for another contender this summer. He's also lauded as an incredible leader and teammate, having won the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award three times over his career.
Which teams could be interested in trading for Jrue Holiday?
Which contenders will be looking to recreate the Holiday magic the Celtics got a few years ago? No team has been directly connected to Holiday just yet, but that should change quickly when the offseason arrives for everyone.
The Celtics probably don't want to send Holiday to an Eastern Conference foe and watch him help their championship cause, so there's a good chance he lands in the West. Teams in win-now mode in need of a point guard should be lining up to go after Holiday.
You can throw the L.A. Clippers into that category, and Holiday would look pretty good alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Los Angeles tried to acquire Holiday ahead of the 2024 season before Boston won the sweepstakes for the veteran guard.
But acquiring Holiday -- likely for Bogdan Bogdanovic and others -- would throw the Clippers back into the tax, so the Celtics will probably have to sweeten the deal with a few second-round picks or potentially a future first. Bogdanovic is set to make $16 million next season with a team option for 2026-27.
The Mavericks are trying to wedge their way into win-now mode following the disastrous Luka Doncic trade, and with Kyrie Irving set to miss a good chunk of next season as he recovers from a torn ACL, Holiday would be a great fit in Dallas beside Anthony Davis and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. But Dallas already has $192 million on the books for next season, so a deal will need some sweetening from Boston.
The Sacramento Kings could be looking for a veteran point guard and have DeMar DeRozan's $24.75 million contract to dangle in a deal. But DeRozan is signed for another $25 million for 2026-27, and the Celtics likely want to send Holiday somewhere that will make him somewhat happy. Sacramento doesn't always fit that mold.
If the Celtics are willing to deal Holiday within the East, the Orlando Magic could be a dark horse to land the veteran guard. The two teams aren't very friendly with each other at the moment after a grueling first-round playoff series, but Orlando is on the rise and could use a veteran quarterback like Holiday.
Given Holiday's age and the $100-plus million left on his salary, the Celtics are probably going to have to throw in picks to move the vet and they really shouldn't expect much back in return. They'll likely get a role player on an expiring deal and maybe a few pieces of filler to make the money match.
While there might be a handful of teams interested in his services, only the Brooklyn Nets can absorb his deal for just draft picks. Other teams would have to trade away at least $22.5 million in salary for a two-team swap to work.
Stevens has the difficult task of finding a team willing to take on Holiday's contract without taking away from the savings for Boston. After that, he'll have to get creative in terms of finding a cost-effective replacement to try and fill the void left by Holiday's departure.
Jrue Holiday would like to stay with the Celtics
While all signs point toward Holiday's tenure in Boston coming to an end this summer, he would love to stay in green for the life of his contract.
"We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again," Holiday said last weekend. "I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff, all the way up to Brad has been amazing. The opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that."
