Don’t expect the Boston Celtics to win the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes.
According to Brian Robb of MassLive.com, “Several reports have linked the Celtics as likely bidders for the defensive-minded guard. However, multiple league sources told MassLive they do not expect Boston to come out on top in what is guaranteed to be a competitive bidding war among contenders in both conferences.”
There’s no doubt that Holiday would be a fantastic addition. He’d essentially be an upgrade over Marcus Smart, who was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason in the Kristaps Porziņģis trade.
Holiday’s elite defense, solid playmaking (7.4 assists per game last season), ability to operate as a third or fourth scorer and championship pedigree would make him a natural fit.
A few concerns will likely keep the Celtics out of the running, however.
For one, the trio of Porziņģis ($36 million), Jayson Tatum ($32.6 million) and Jaylen Brown ($31.8 million) already account for a huge chunk of the team’s cap space, which will only become more pronounced when Brown’s five-year, $288 million supermax extension kicks in and Tatum signs one of his own.
Holiday is going to want an extension of his own at some point, making a core of Tatum, Brown, Holiday and Porziņģis prohibitively expensive.
And to even make the money work this year in a trade, given Holiday’s $36 million contract, the Celtics would have to convince Portland to take on a package centered around Malcolm Brogdon ($22 million) and either Derrick White ($18.3 million), Robert Williams III ($11.5 million) or Al Horford ($10 million), alongside draft capital.
The Celtics likely would prefer to keep White and Williams around, and Portland could do better than a deal centered around Brogdon, Horford and draft picks. Plus, giving up either Williams or Horford would leave the team thin on the block.
Add it all up, and it’s hard to envision a path for Holiday to end up in Boston.
