When the Boston Celtics landed Jrue Holiday ahead of the 2023-24 season, Brad Stevens called him a “perfect fit“.
Holiday proved him right. His defense, leadership, and calming presence in the backcourt helped Boston cruise to its 18th banner in dominant fashion.
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— CelticsMuse (@CelticsMuse) June 21, 2024
But just one year later, the financial crunch the front office faces could force the Celtics to move on from him already.
Holiday’s future serves as a litmus test for the franchise’s direction. How aggressive will the new ownership group be in shedding salary? And if the market isn’t strong for him, how far are they willing to go to get out of his deal?
The front office finds itself under a microscope this summer, caught between the pursuit of sustained contention and the brutal realities of the new CBA.
The Harsh Financial Reality
The Celtics managed to return their top ten players from their championship playoff rotation. It was an unprecedented level of continuity for a title team. But they knew it wasn’t sustainable.
Thanks to a combination of massive salaries and repeater tax penalties, Boston’s payroll is set to surpass $500 million.
For context, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the team’s revenue is approximately $450 million. While fans will never have sympathy for billionaire owners, that math doesn’t make for good business.
Ownership may have been willing to stomach the cost had Boston repeated as champions. But after a second-round exit and with Jayson Tatum not expected to return to full strength until at least 2027-28, the urgency to reset financially becomes harder to ignore.
That makes this offseason a logical window to shed salary, and Holiday’s contract makes him a likely candidate to be moved.
What Makes Holiday a Trade Candidate?
Holiday’s contributions go far beyond the box score, but the numbers on his contract are impossible to ignore.
He’s owed $67.2 million through 2026-27, with a $37 million player option the following year.
It’s a hefty contract for a 34-year-old guard whose usage rate dropped to a career-low 16.8% last season.
Some of that decline was by design. The Celtics leaned more heavily on Tatum as the offensive engine, and Payton Pritchard’s emergence as Sixth Man of the Year resulted in fewer touches for Holiday.
But the dip in his efficiency also raises concerns. In the 2023-24 season, Holiday shot a career-high 42.9% from three, and 59.7% in the corners. Those numbers dropped to 35.3% from deep and just 30.5% from the corners last season.
Can Boston justify near-max money for a player who may no longer be central to their offense?
Similarly, other teams will be asking themselves if his production drop was due to personal decline or a selfless sacrifice for the team.
Potential Landing Spots for Holiday
Despite his age and contract, Jrue Holiday still holds real value for teams in win-now mode. His championship pedigree, elite defense, and steady locker-room presence make him an appealing target for contenders.
Several teams have been floated as potential suitors, each offering different incentives depending on their roster timelines and cap situations:
- Clippers: A trade with L.A. would likely be about cost-cutting for Boston. The Clippers are all-in on a veteran core with limited draft capital and young players. A trade would likely center on expiring or mid-level contracts to give Boston future flexibility— not long-term building blocks.
- Mavericks: The blockbuster Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis swap signals Dallas is pushing its chips in for the present, even if they did luck into the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. Holiday could provide stability while Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL. In return, Boston could acquire useful contributors or movable pieces, such as P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
- Lakers: With LeBron James’ career coming to a close, the Lakers could make one last title push. Holiday would provide much-needed backcourt defense. But will they be willing to gamble on his aging contract, given Doncic offers a longer championship window?
- Warriors: Any deal involving Golden State would be financially complex and might require a third team. Still, with Stephen Curry’s final years approaching, the Warriors could pursue Holiday as part of a last-ditch effort to stay competitive. They also possess future draft capital that could be especially valuable in the post-Curry era.
- Kings: Sacramento is stuck in NBA purgatory. They’re too good to tank and not good enough to contend. If they decide to push forward, Holiday would be a major upgrade as a defensive-minded, table-setting guard. But if they choose to rebuild, he doesn’t fit that timeline.
What if There’s No Market?
It only takes one team to get a deal done, but Boston could find itself negotiating from a position of weakness if the number of suitors dries up.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Boston may need to attach draft compensation just to offload Holiday’s contract.
That’s a tough sell, especially considering recent history. They surrendered the 30th pick (Desmond Bane) to dump Enes Freedom in 2020, and the 16th pick (Alperen Sengun) to offload Kemba Walker a year later.
If the Celtics aren’t comfortable sweetening a Holiday trade with draft capital, their alternative might involve moving more valuable pieces like Jaylen Brown or Derrick White, neither of whom the team reportedly wants to part with.
League sources are insistent the Celtics have given zero indications that parting ways with Derrick White this summer is a possibility.
Boston views White as an essential core player alongside Tatum and Brown.
More on the Celtics and league rumors below: https://t.co/Bs5hgdLHbJ
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 23, 2025
This becomes the test of how Stevens can balance the needs of shedding salary and remaining competitive.
Tough Decisions Ahead
Jrue Holiday is still a winning player. But in the NBA’s new economic reality, a player’s value is judged just as much by cap implications as it is by on-court production.
What Boston does next won’t just shape their roster for next season, it’ll signal their broader approach to team-building.
Are the Celtics willing to pay the price to stay at the top, or will they take a step back to ease their financial burden?
One way or another, Jrue Holiday will be a key indicator of what their plans are.
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