As we head into the offseason, the Boston Celtics have some difficult decisions to make. One of those decisions is regarding the future of Jrue Holiday with the franchise.
Boston is a second apron luxury tax team. With Jayson Tatum likely sidelined for the 2025-26 season, Brad Stevens is expected to try and duck under the luxury tax. As such, aging veterans like Holiday could become trade candidates, if the right deal materializes.
Brian Robb of Masslive recently floated a trade scenario that would send Holiday to the Dallas Mavericks. The trade proposal looks like this:
Mavericks Get: Jrue Holiday
Celtics Get: Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper
“With Kyrie Irving set to miss a large chunk of next season after tearing his ACL, backcourt help is needed,” Robb wrote. “Defense also wins championships according to Nico Harrison. So, Holiday should be able to help this team on that front as well… There’s no question though that Holiday would help this team’s backcourt right away but they may also pursue less expensive salary options via trade.”
Holiday has been a key contributor for the Celtics since arriving via a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. If the Mavericks are looking for a winning player with championship experience, they couldn’t do much better than Holiday.
Holiday Would Prefer to Stay With the Celtics
During a May 16 news conference, Holiday made his desire to remain in Boston clear.
“I think we still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday said. “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.”
The Celtics have numerous players they could look to trade to duck under the luxury tax. As such, there’s no guarantee Holiday is the player Stevens looks to trade. Nevertheless, his age (he will turn 35 next season) and his contract ($33.6 million average annual salary) make him a legitimate candidate to be moved.
Two Teams Could Hold Interest in Holiday
According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are two teams that could emerge as front-runners for Holiday’s services.
“With Boston likely trimming payroll this summer, look for a lot of interest from playoff teams in Jrue Holiday, an elite defensive guard who has helped the Bucks and Celtics win rings,” Helin reported. “The Rockets and Spurs might be teams to watch.”
Holiday would make sense for almost every team in the NBA. Nevertheless, he’s best suited for organizations that are on the brink of being genuine championship contenders. He’s helped the Milwaukee Bucks and Celtics bridge that gap in recent years. Therefore, there’s no reason to believe he can’t do it again. Still, Celtics fans would likely prefer he stayed with the team. At least for the time being.
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