When Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in the playoffs, Boston Celtics fans wondered what the team would do about the 2025-2026 season.
Rumors immediately started circulating about the Celtics’ upcoming moves, and if they’d try to trade for top-tier talent to replace Tatum, or if they’d resign to the fact that they might need to rebuild for a year or two.
Fans got some clarity with a recent deal involving Jrue Holiday, a transaction that allowed the Celtics to secure Anfernee Simons, a player who averaged nearly 20 points per game this year.
This trade received mixed reviews from fans and analysts alike, with some people saying it was a great deal for the Celtics, while others indicated it wasn’t in their best interest.
Paul Pierce was in the second camp, talking about his discontent with this deal in a segment of “Speak” on FS1.
“We lost a lot in this trade. We lost a champion, we lost a leader in the locker room, we lost a piece of the culture and DNA that he brought to the Celtics,” Pierce said.
.@paulpierce34 reacts to his Celtics trading away Jrue Holiday
"We lost a lot in this trade. We lost a champion, we lost a leader in the locker room, we lost a piece of the culture and DNA that he brought to the Celtics." pic.twitter.com/1zQDvSkYOE
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) June 24, 2025
In Pierce’s mind, Holiday’s impact on this organization went far beyond his on-court contributions.
He believed that Holiday was a leader in the locker room and someone with plenty of championship experience, which could serve this team well moving forward.
Instead, the Celtics decided to sell at top dollar for Holiday, hoping Simons can pan out as a future star of the organization.
He showed lots of promise for the Portland Trail Blazers, and if he can put up similar numbers with better teammates, the sky is the limit for him and his career.
NEXT: Former Player Makes A Big Prediction About Jaylen Brown