Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday believes in his teammates, so much so that he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Beantown. The two-time All-Star agreed to a four-year, $135 million contract extension with the C's on Wednesday night, which could potentially keep him in green until he decides to retire.
🚨 BREAKING: Jrue Holiday has agreed on a 4-year, $135 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, per @wojespn.
Holiday is declining his $37.3 million player option for 2024-2025 to sign this extension. pic.twitter.com/vu6m1jLdO0
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 10, 2024
For any further proof of his confidence in the Celtics, just listen to what he told the media on Thursday morning, per Celtics in-house writer Taylor Snow:
“I want to be here. I want to win multiple rings,” he said.
The 33-year-old guard has been in the NBA for over a decade, and he probably hoped that the next contract he signed would be his last. Especially in the wake of this past offseason, as Holiday was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Milwaukee Bucks' blockbuster trade for eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard. Soon after, the C's struck a deal for Holiday and brought him to Beantown before the 2023-24 regular season kicked off.
How Jrue Holiday fits with the Celtics
In Boston, Holiday has done well in his new role.
Although he's not scoring as much as he did in Milwaukee, he's fit perfectly with the Green Team's potent starting five. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis can provide most of the offense and draw tons of defensive attention, leaving Holiday with plenty of open shots around the perimeter. He's currently shooting a career-high 43.1% from deep and is still averaging a respectable 12.5 points per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Holiday thrives. He can roam around in Boston's different schemes and disrupt passing lanes with ease. Plus, he can handle the toughest defensive assignments, which should be important when the postseason begins because every playoff team boasts a crafty scorer.
Jrue Holiday has been a menace on defense for the Celtics.
He’s taking on every type of matchup from quick guards, shot-creating wings and physical bigs.
Perfect fit for the identity this team is forming. pic.twitter.com/uhX2tuBlzY
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) December 19, 2023
Holiday also has something no other current Celtic does: a ring. That title experience should come in handy, as the 2021 NBA champion has been on the brink of elimination before and battled back to win it all. The C's hold the No. 1 overall seed heading into the playoffs and could benefit from Holiday's wisdom since they didn't roster a player with a championship to their name last season or in the season when they lost in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Whether or not Boston gets over the hump remains to be seen, yet Holiday clearly believes in the Celtics and their ownership. If he didn't, he wouldn't have signed that lengthy contract that frees up some cap space and possibly pairs him up with Tatum, Brown, and others for years to come.
It's worth noting that Tatum has a 2025 player option, so Holiday must be under the assumption that the five-time All-Star sees himself in Boston this season and beyond. The future of Boston's core isn't completely certain, but finally capturing Banner No. 18 would probably be enough to keep them together for multiple years.
Before the Celtics can think about playoff aspirations, they must first finish out the regular season. Holiday is questionable for Boston's Thursday night showdown with the New York Knicks and could very well sit out and rest.
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