NBA Trade Rumor: Celtics' Idea of Trading Veteran Guard Jrue Holiday Faces Massive Complication

The Boston Celtics could face challenges in trading veteran guard Jrue Holiday this offseason. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, several rival executives believe Boston may need to attach incentives, such as draft picks, to offload Holiday’s contract, which still carries $104 million over the next three seasons.

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Celtics Could Trade Jrue Holiday Away 

Jrue Holiday was crucial to Boston's 2024 championship win, but his $104 million contract over the next three seasons might make teams hesitant to trade for him without the Celtics including draft picks or other incentives.

“Some form of incentive (such as draft compensation) might have to be attached to Holiday's contract by the Celtics to convince someone to absorb the $104 million remaining,” Fischer wrote.

In his 16th NBA season, Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 44.3% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc across 62 games. While his production dipped slightly, his defensive presence and leadership remained valuable throughout the year.

The Celtics' title reign ended with a brutal Game 6 loss to the Knicks, and now they face tough roster decisions, complicated by All-Star Jayson Tatum's expected lengthy absence due to a torn Achilles.

The Celtics are considering trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to cut long-term salary costs. Porzingis, with a non-guaranteed deal expiring soon, is seen as more tradeable than Holiday, whose contract extends further.

The Celtics' season ended in embarrassing fashion with a 119-81 loss to the Knicks in Game 6, and now they face tough roster decisions, compounded by the potentially season-ending injury to star Jayson Tatum.

President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens acknowledged the difficult path ahead during his end-of-season media availability.

“I know there will be a lot of questions about what’s next,” Stevens said. “At the end of the day I think that will all be driven by the same thing that's always driven us. And that's: ‘How do we get ourselves in the mix to compete for championships best?’”

Stevens declined to delve into the financial details of the collective bargaining agreement or luxury tax implications.

“I'd rather not talk about the CBA and all that crap,” he added. “The reality is we blew the first two games [against the Knicks] and that's why we put ourselves in a tough spot.”