It felt like the small corner of the internet where the Boston Celtics fans reside came to a complete stop on Monday night, when it was first reported that Jrue Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. The two-time NBA champion was a massive part of Boston’s championship run, but it was heavily rumored that his days were numbered due to the Celtics’ pressing need to shed salary.
Nonetheless, the Blazers were a surprise destination to many, including Holiday, considering that there’d been no rumors of their interest in the veteran up until the time the news broke.
Jrue Holiday is upset about being traded to Portland
According to sources who spoke with Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, Holiday wasn’t thrilled to hear about where he’d be (potentially) playing out the remainder of his contract.
“Now, if he winds up staying there, I’m sure he’ll be the professional he’s always been and make a positive contribution,” said Bulpett’s source. “But he’s not happy with this deal. I’ll be surprised if Portland doesn’t move him on if they can, because right now he does not want to go there.
The move from Boston to Portland is a greater change than just the distance. Holiday will be leaving a Celtics team that had hopes of winning back-to-back championships this past season, for a Blazers squad that hasn’t sniffed the postseason since the 2020-21 campaign.
Holiday knew how special things were in Boston. He said as much and voiced his desire to remain with the team during what wound up being his final availability as a Celtic last month.
“We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday told reporters at the Auerbach Center following Boston’s playoff elimination. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff all the way up to (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad [Stevens], has been amazing. So, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
It’s unclear whether or not Holiday will be with the Trail Blazers when training camp rolls around later this year. If he is, they’ll be better than last year, but making the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference is a tall task. There’s also a world where they instead flip him in a second trade (like Portland did two years ago with Boston) and reroute him to a team better fit to contend for a title. That may be the best-case scenario for the 35-year-old guard who certainly still has plenty left in the tank heading into his 17th season as a pro.