The Boston Celtics have completed a trade for star point guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Celtics traded Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, a 2024 first-round pick (via Golden State), and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick to the Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics are trading Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, 2024 GSW 1st, 2029 unprotected BOS first to the Blazers, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/gx53jyH1RG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 1, 2023
Let's breakdown the return for each team and hand out trade grades after the massive blockbuster trade involving Jrue Holiday between the Blazers and Celtics.
Boston Celtics: An ideal third star
The Celtics had long been rumored to be searching for a third star next to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and they finally found it in Jrue Holiday. The Celtics have witnessed firsthand exactly what Holiday is capable of, and how seamlessly he can function as the third option offensively on a title team, as he did just that in Milwaukee next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Holiday is a perfect fit for Boston, who dealt Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason and suddenly had a need for a point-of-attack defender. There aren't many better in the league defensively than Holiday, who can replicate much of what was lost in the Smart trade while providing a much steadier hand offensively. Holiday's ability to create for Brown and Tatum should help the dynamic duo find easier buckets, and Holiday's decision-making will be welcome for a team that has struggled with turnovers throughout the years.
If you had to draw up a star to play next to Brown and Tatum, he'd look a lot like Holiday. The championship window for the Celtics is wide open, and finding a player of Holiday's quality who can dominate games without needing the ball in his hands is ideal for Boston.
The price, of course, wasn't cheap. Trading a completely unprotected pick six years down the line is a little scary, as the Celtics could look drastically different by that time. But these are the kind of sacrifices you make when you have a chance to win a championship, and the Celtics simply couldn't rely on Malcolm Brogdon to remain healthy and be the best guard on a true contender. Losing Robert Williams stings, but it's unclear just how much time he would have seen behind Kristaps Porzingis in a playoff rotation. With the 2024 pick (via Golden State) likely being towards the back of the first round, the Celtics should feel good about maintaining flexibility and assets in future trades while drastically improving their championship odds this season.
After Milwaukee landed Damian Lillard and became the favorite to win the title, this was the kind of trade response Boston needed in retaliation. Perhaps the 2029 pick should have had some sort of protection placed on it, but if that was the price for getting a hot commodity like Holiday off the trade market, so be it.
Trade Grade: A-
Portland Trail Blazers: Keep flipping out
Well, that didn't take long. Just four days after acquiring Jrue Holiday in the deal for Damian Lillard, the Blazers have wisely flipped the veteran for valuable future draft assets…and more trade material down the line.
Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams should both be attractive trade pieces for contenders, if the Blazers choose to go that route. Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons could benefit from Brogdon's leadership and veteran example, or the Blazers could continue to follow the same blueprint and pick up even more draft assets by dangling Brogdon to a team like the Los Angeles Clippers, who already tried (and failed) to trade for the combo guard earlier this offseason.
There's a good case for keeping Williams in Portland, as he's the kind of athletic rim protector who can cover up a lot of mistakes Portland's young guards are bound to make. He's young enough to keep behind DeAndre Ayton, and he'd provide some serious athleticism for a team that looks to have plenty of it moving forward.
That's the current tally on Lillard trade, anyway: Portland plans to keep Robert Williams to pair with Deandre Ayton, sources say, but there has certainly been interest in veteran Malcolm Brogdon and expect teams will be calling on him. Blazers are committed to young guards. https://t.co/7vYhYNmbmZ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 1, 2023
Portland was wise to move quickly in dealing Holiday, who likely had no interest in being part of a rebuilding process. It's always tough to “win” a trade involving a star like Lillard, but turning the trade into multiple deals by continuing to flip the returned players is a great way to increase the chances of doing so. A team's fortunes can turn on a dime — whether it be because of injury or trade demand — and getting multiple unprotected picks down the line from contenders in “all-in” mode when the Blazers will actually be ready to compete is good business.
This was the kind of deal Portland had to make. The primary quibble would be that the Blazers should be collecting even more chances (second-round picks can hit, too) or extracting young players with potential (like hometown kid Payton Pritchard) in these deals instead of mostly veterans, but we're more likely to see that in an upcoming Brogdon or Williams trade.
Trade Grade: B
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