Woj: Jrue Holiday Traded to Celtics; Blazers Get Brodgon, Robert Williams III, Picks | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

By Editor On Oct 1, 2023

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MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 19: Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks talks to the media after the game during round one game two of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2023 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Jrue Holiday’s brief time with the Portland Trail Blazers is over.

Portland reportedly traded the guard to the Boston Celtics on Sunday for a package centered around Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

The Celtics are trading Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, 2024 GSW 1st, 2029 unprotected BOS first to the Blazers, sources tell ESPN. <a href=”https://t.co/gx53jyH1RG”>https://t.co/gx53jyH1RG</a>

That Portland traded Holiday is far from a surprise.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Trail Blazers were expected to “immediately engage contending teams on trade talks” involving Holiday after they acquired him as part of the three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 33-year-old Holiday doesn’t match Portland’s competitive timeline as a team that is going into something of a rebuild after moving on from Lillard, and trading the veteran allowed it to land more assets that could help in the future.

Portland’s loss is Boston’s gain, as they landed one of the best defensive guards in the league and someone with championship experience on his resume.

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS

I mean, I think the Bucks are clear winners.<br><br>But the Jrue team is also going to be a huge winner. Players like him who genuinely fit in any roster construction never get moved. <a href=”https://t.co/Bo8qJyH1rm”>https://t.co/Bo8qJyH1rm</a>

Holiday is a five-time All-Defensive selection and two-time All-Star. He was also integral in helping lead the Bucks to the NBA title during the 2020-21 season and will surely always be remembered fondly by fans of the franchise thanks to those championship efforts.

The UCLA product can do more than play excellent defense, though, as indicated by his averages of 19.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game last season. He also hit 38.4 percent of his three-pointers and took advantage of the spacing created by playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Ideally for the Celtics, he can do the same while playing alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

If he does while consistently locking down the opponent’s best ball-handler on the defensive side and operating the offense as a facilitating point guard, this will be an important addition in Boston’s quest to finally get over the top and win a championship during the Tatum and Brown era.

Holiday may not be Lillard, but he is far more than just a meager consolation prize when it comes to notable offseason trades ahead of the 2023-24 season.

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