Jrue Holiday, who the Boston Celtics traded to the Portland Trail Blazers this summer, recently spoke about how long he plans to play in the NBA:
"Just kind of going with it," Holiday told DJ Siddiqi of RG.org. "I've been blessed enough to play for this long, and I've never taken that for granted. I know this is a dream come true for most young kids, but I know 17 years is a dream come true for any 35-year-old who gets a chance to stay as healthy as possible and to play the game that they love. I'll just continue playing until I can't anymore."
At 35 years old, there’s no telling how many NBA years Holiday has left.
What can Jrue Holiday do for Blazers?
Boston traded Holiday to the Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons. The deal originally included two second-round picks heading to the Celtics as well, but after Holiday’s physical came through, they were removed.
For the past two seasons, including a championship run in 2024, Holiday was an essential part of the puzzle in Boston. His offensive connectedness and defensive leadership were exactly what the Celtics needed.
Unfortunately, the Celtics’ objective this summer wasn’t the same as in past offseasons. Rather than spending and pushing the team forward, Boston’s primary goal was to duck the second apron.
With Jayson Tatum slated to miss all (or at least most) of next season, the Celtics’ chances in the East are likely the worst they’ve been in nearly a decade. Combine that with their place as a second-apron team for the last two years, and cutting salary was always going to be a priority.
Holiday’s massive contract made it easy to ship him out. He’s going to make $32.4 million this year, $34.8 million in 2026-27, and has a player option for $37.2 million in 2027-28.
But for Portland, Holiday’s veteran leadership is evidently what they’re looking for.
A late-season surge inched the close to the Play-In Tournament last season, though they ultimately came up short. But with a solid young core in place, Holiday’s assistance could help push them up the standings in a stacked Western Conference.
His guidance could help guys like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe take another leap, which would be perfect for the Blazers’ development as a team.
Holiday still has three years left on his contract, too, and based on what he told Siddiqi, he doesn’t plan on hanging up his sneakers anytime soon.