Jrue Holiday helped the Celtics win their 18th title in 2024.
Jrue Holiday helped the Celtics win their 18th title in 2024.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Following the loss to the Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Jayson Tatum facing a lengthy rehab from his surgically repaired Achilles’ tear, and potential penalties from being over the salary cap, the Celtics were expected to see massive roster upheaval before the start of next season.
Those changes have started, a source confirmed to the Globe, which said the Celtics dealt 35-year-old guard Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers for guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks.
Simons, 26, has been with Portland for all of his seven seasons since they drafted him with the 24th pick in 2018. Last season, Simons averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, starting all 70 games he appeared in. He was a 36.3 percent shooter from 3-point range.
His numbers were down slightly from his best season in 2023-24, when he averaged 22.6 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Holiday spent the past two seasons with the Celtics, helping Boston to its 18th title in 2024. In 62 games last season, Holiday averaged 11. 1 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.