Boston Celtics
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Just a year after finally winning the NBA Finals with the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core, the Boston Celtics already find themselves in a tough spot due to injuries and rising costs. Tatum tore his Achilles during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, which could mean he’s forced to miss all of next season, and they may have had to trim salaries, even before the Tatum injury changed their future outlook.
The cold, hard truth is that without Tatum, the Celtics just aren’t the same title contenders as before. Without him, the Celtics will surely need more scoring and defense, which could require making other significant changes to the roster.
Some rumored moves involve parting with players such as Jrue Holiday and/or Kristaps Porzingis. The possibility of trading Brown, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, has even come up.
Yet, The Athletic’s Celtics reporter Danny Leroux believes Boston’s best path back to contention is trading Holiday, along with one, possibly even two first-round picks, to help unload his contract. While Holiday is a two-time All-Star, the soon-to-be 35-year-old is coming off his lowest scoring season since his rookie year.
Recently, when Leroux unveiled his offseason plan for the Celtics, the item at the very top of the list was finding a trade partner for Holiday.
“Work hard to find a home for Holiday and be willing to give up a first-round pick and maybe two, especially if they can bring back a rotation player in the deal.”
The Athletic on Boston Celtics’ offseason moves
He’s also due $32.4 million next season. That number climbs to $34.8 million in 2026-27, and Holiday even has a $37.2 million player option in 2027-28, when he’ll be 38 years old. In other words, it will surely be harder and harder to move off his contract as Holiday continues to age, so making an aggressive move now may pay off both in the short term and in the future.
However, if the Celtics strike out on finding a trade partner for Holiday, Leroux suggests that perhaps the Celtics really should “listen intently on Brown” trade offers.
Related: NBA reporter reveals Boston Celtics’ preference between trading Derrick White or Jrue Holiday