The Boston Celtics made a blockbuster Jrue Holiday trade on Sunday, trading center Robert Williams, guard Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round picks to the Portland Trail Blazers for the veteran guard. This isn’t just a short-term rental, though, the Celtics want to keep the 33-year-old for as long as they can.

“The Celtics were among the teams at very top of Holiday's wish list in recent days and expectation is Celtics are eager to retain him long-term, sources said,” per ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. “Holiday has a year left on deal. Boston beat out several teams in both conferences with a significant trade package.”

In the Celtics’ Jrue Holiday trade, Boston gets a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive Team player who will make $36.8 million this year with a player option for $39.4 million next season.

This is the second massive Celtics trade the Eastern Conference runners-up have made this NBA offseason. In June, the team dealt Marcus Smart, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and a second-round pick in a three-team deal that returned Kristaps Porzingis, a 2023 first-rounder, and a 2024 Golden State Warriors top-four protected first-round pick.

For this Celtics-Blazers trade, Boston general manager Brad Stevens flipped that Warriors pick and added his own 2029 unprotected pick to make the deal happen.

In Holiday, the Celtics get one of — if not — the best defensive guard in the game. Last season, he also averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He is the perfect replacement/upgrade for Smart, who played a similar defense-first role for the team. And next to Jaylen Brown, the Celtics now have one of the best backcourt defensive duos in the game.