Boston Celtics veteran guard Jrue Holiday made it clear that he wants to return amid trade rumors surrounding him and the team following their second-round exit.
“I think we still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday told reporters after the Celtics’ bid to repeat ended Friday in New York with a humiliating 119-81 loss. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff, all the way up to Brad [Stevens], has been amazing. So, yeah, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
Holiday had a disappointing performance in Game 6 against the New York Knicks. He shot 1-for-8 from the field and finished with only four points, four rebounds and three assists against two turnovers in 30 minutes.
Jrue Holiday Expected to Draw Trade Interest
The 34-year-old point guard who has won two championships — one in Boston last year and with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 — should interest several contending teams if the Celtics do look to move him, Jay King of The Athletic reported.
“Welcome to the life of a professional athlete,” Holiday said of his uncertain future in Boston. “Sometimes you just have to do it, and other people do it in different ways. Again, I think the things that I can control, I do my best to control, but other than that, I try my best not to worry about it.
“So, for me, this offseason, having a little bit of a break, getting back right, and preparing for next season is all that I could really do. Who comes back, roster change, and things like that, it’s not really in my control. So, I just focus on what I can.”
Major Shakeup in Boston
GettyJayson Tatum of the Celtics is assisted off the court after being injured against the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Jayson Tatum‘s season-ending Achilles injury in Game 4 fast-tracked the demise of this Celtics team that dominated last year’s playoffs on their way to raising banner 18. But there were already ramblings even before Tatum’s injury and the Celtics’ playoff loss to the Knicks about an upcoming major roster shakeup.
“Because of a payroll that would reach about $500 million if the Celtics simply hold onto their current roster, the front office was already thinking about significant offseason changes before Tatum’s injury, according to team sources,” King wrote.
The Celtics gave up two first-round picks, former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and center Robert Williams III to acquire Holiday from Portland in 2023. It paid off with a championship. One of those picks turned out to be Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington, whom the Trail Blazers sent in the Deni Advija deal. The other pick is a 2029 unprotected Boston first-round pick.
Lost Opportunity
Certainly, the Celtics will not recoup the draft capital they gave up if they deal Holiday away this offseason. Holiday has three years left on his four-year, $134.4 million contract. The final year is a $37.2 million player option when Holiday will turn 37.
Amid the uncertainty in Boston, Holiday rued the fact they they blew the opportunity to become the first back-to-back champions since the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
“I think it was a lost opportunity because we lost,” Holiday said. “Again, I think that we had the best team in the league. Obviously, doing it last year, but the chemistry that we had that we built from last season, even coming into this season or coming into this postseason, and how we were feeling, I feel like we are disappointed in ourselves. We felt like we let the organization down and the city down.”
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