Knicks are learning what Celtics always knew about Jrue Holiday

The NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Feb. 5 is now barely over a week away. The main prize is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Whether the Milwaukee Bucks are willing to part with their superstar so soon is anyone's guess. However, another target of interest to the New York Knicks is Jrue Holiday.

Monday, the two-time All-Star returned to Boston for the first time since the Celtics traded him. Holiday, always gracious, met with the media before and after the game.

The potential future Basketball Hall of Famer shared his lasting memories from his two-year tenure in Boston, discussed the bond he built with the city, and explained what he knew about his former team that makes this season's success no surprise to him.

The Celtics also gushed about what it was like to have Holiday as a teammate.

"It was such a pleasure being his teammate, I learned so much," said Payton Pritchard after Boston's 102-94 victory vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. "Just a great human being. Obviously, a wonderful basketball player, but the teammate he was and just to be around, I'm very grateful for it."

As the trade deadline nears, there are reports that their beloved former teammate could soon join the franchise that ousted them from the playoffs last year.

The Knicks' pursuit of Jrue Holiday

In his latest intel around the Association, veteran NBA insider Marc Stein shared this about New York's effort to bolster its roster before the postseason:

"Another concept that keeps coming up: Rumbles that the Knicks have explored pathways to try to acquire Portland's Jrue Holiday," reported Stein in his Substack, The Stein Line.

"There are at least two clear reasons why New York would have interest in a player who helped both Milwaukee and Boston win championships this decade: 1) The presumption that acquiring Holiday — if there's a way — would make the Knicks an even more attractive destination to Holiday's former Bucks teammate Antetokounmpo; 2) New York is believed to hold a longstanding fondness for Holiday as a potential backcourt complement to Jalen Brunson."

While defensive metrics are flawed, and there isn't one exemplary catch-all statistic on that side of the ball, the Knicks rank 18th in defensive rating. That's a red flag for their hopes of ending a championship drought that dates back to the 1972-73 season.

Having Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor creates two exploitable targets for opponents to target. Even having one of them out there creates challenges for the defense.

Holiday, who at 35 remains impactful on both sides of the ball, would pair well with Brunson. Whether it's propping up lineups with New York's star guard and Towns or just one of them, he would elevate a defense in need.

Adding the 17th-year guard's contract to the books is a lot to absorb. Holiday has a $34.8 million cap hit for the 2026-27 campaign. He has a player option worth $37.2 million for the following year. Still, with owner James Dolan declaring this season championship-or-bust, given what it could lead to, it's a price worth paying.

The Celtics and their fan base would much rather see Holiday remain in the Pacific Northwest than join a geographical rival. However, they saw firsthand what acquiring him can do for a team's title hopes. The idea of adding a postseason difference-maker and a locker room leader, one who could help entice Antetokounmpo to force his way to "The Big Apple," may have too much appeal for the Knicks to walk away from the trade deadline without him.