Jayson Tatum said his public farewells to two fellow Celtics champions on Wednesday.
The rehabbing Boston star posted messages on his Instagram story saluting Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, whom the team traded to Portland and Atlanta, respectively, as part of an offseason mission to trim salary.
To Holiday, his teammate on the Celtics’ 2024 championship squad and two gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic teams, Tatum wrote:
“2 Gold medals and a championship! Forever grateful to have been your teammate. Great player and a better person. My dawg for life.”
Porzingis, like Holiday, joined the Celtics before the 2023-24 season and played a major role on the team that brought Boston its first NBA title since 2008.
“Big fella!” Tatum wrote. “Never a doubt what you meant to this city and this team. thankful for you always champ!”
With Holiday and Porzingis now gone — moves that saved Boston more than $250 million between salaries and luxury tax penalties and pushed it below the second apron — and Tatum recovering from Achilles surgery, the Celtics will begin the 2025-26 season with at least three new starters. The futures of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White remain unclear, as the Celtics reportedly have received trade offers for both.
The Celtics received guard Anfernee Simons in the Holiday trade and forward Georges Niang in the Porzingis deal, plus a total of three second-round draft picks.
Originally Published: June 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM EDT