The Boston Celtics have pulled off a smart, future-focused trade by sending Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for 26-year-old scoring guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. This deal gives Boston cap relief, youth, and offensive firepower.
Holiday is entering his age-35 season and showing visible signs of decline. He averaged just 11.1 PPG last season and comes with a hefty contract exceeding $100M over the next three years. Swapping him for Simons, who’s averaged 20.7 PPG as a starter and shoots 37.4% from deep, injects much-needed scoring without long-term financial strain.
Quite frankly, I can’t believe Portland accepted this deal. Anything could happen, but as of right now, this is yet another fleece by Brad Stevens.
Simons fits seamlessly into Boston’s spacing-heavy offense and adds playmaking potential, especially while Jayson Tatum recovers. Defensively limited, yes, but the Celtics’ core defense can easily mask that. Plus, the team now has the flexibility to maneuver under the second apron.
Are the Celtics done? Probably not. Watch out for a trade involving Kristaps Porzingis coming within the next 48 hours.
In the meantime, Celtics fans can look back on the short but effective tenure of Jrue Holiday. Without him, I firmly believe this team doesn’t win that championship in 2024.
