The Boston Celtics pursuit of All-Star guard Jrue Holiday is still “alive,” according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, but there is a “significant gap” in talks.
The Celtics’ pursuit of Jrue Holiday remains alive, I’m told. But there’s still a significant gap.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) September 30, 2023
Holiday was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in the three-team deal that saw Damian Lillard join forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks. However, it was quickly reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that Portland would look to flip Holiday as they enter a rebuild.
During an appearance on The Rally, Shams Charania of The Athletic noted that Boston was one of the teams expected to be interested in Holiday. It was also mentioned by Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald that the Celtics are among the teams that “appeal” to Holiday as a potential trade destination.
To get a deal done, the Celtics would likely have to include two of Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Robert Williams, and Al Horford, or complete a sign-and-trade with Blake Griffin that would also involve shipping out a collection of smaller salaries and role players (Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, etc.).
Holiday will make roughly $36.8 million next season and has a played option for the 2024-25 season. According to Ian Begley of SNY, teams interested in trading for Holiday believe he would prefer a destination “where he can win and potentially sign an extension.”
