The first domino of the Celtics offseason has officially fallen after they traded Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. But don’t expect the Celtics to be done after just this first trade.
The Celtics “remain engaged in trade talks surrounding multiple key players on the roster,” per ESPN’s Shams Charania. That’s no surprise as the C’s were long expected to shed salary this offseason. Holiday was just one of a few players on the roster who made sense to move this summer.
Holiday, 35, rejoins Portland after originally being acquired from the Bucks by the organization in the Damian Lillard trade. Holiday was then re-rerouted to the Celtics, where he played a key role to bring the 2024 NBA championship to Boston. The veteran guard now joins a Blazers squad that surprised over the second half of the season.
Holiday was heavily involved in trade rumors leading up to the deal with multiple West teams interested in the two-time champion’s services. Other potential pieces who could be traded include guys like Kristaps Porzingis or Sam Hauser, who have also been in trade rumors. The Celtics have plenty of options in front of them as they retool their roster going forward.