Celtics could reunite with former Rookie of the Year to replace Jrue Holiday
The Boston Celtics are on the verge of significant roster changes.
Reports keep flooding in that Boston’s President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens will look to shed salary this summer. 35-year-old Jrue Holiday, set to earn $104.4 million over the next three seasons, has emerged as one of the two likeliest trade chips for Stevens, along with Kristaps Porzingis.
If Holiday’s time in Boston does come to a halt, his tenure in green has been a huge success — two seasons, one NBA championship … not a bad ratio.
When Stevens acquired Holiday on October 1, 2023, it was to help Boston’s young superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally get to the mountaintop. Holiday did just that in 2024.
Interestingly, Stevens’s package for Holiday — Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and two future first-rounders — has found its way back into Celtics buzz.
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Some are wondering whether swapping out Porzingis ($30.7 million expiring) for a reunion with Williams ($13.3 million expiring) could be a clever way to cut costs while bringing back a fan-favorite.
But given Williams’s health status, the chances of that idea appealing to Stevens are near zero.
Then there’s Brogdon, who’s entering unrestricted free agency. Forbes’ Evan Sidery reported something intriguing about Brogdon this week.
“Malcolm Brogdon will generate interest from contending teams in unrestricted free agency as a backup point guard option,” Sidery wrote.
“Due to Brogdon’s immense injury history, he could be forced to take a one-year prove-it deal on the veteran’s minimum.”
Brogdon on a veteran’s minimum?! If that reporting holds any weight, Boston might suddenly emerge as a landing spot for Brogdon if Stevens trades Holiday.
Stevens has been known to reacquire former Celtics players (Daniel Theis, Al Horford), and Brogdon could be next.
The 32-year-old former Rookie of the Year had a great showing in his lone season with the Celtics, winning Sixth Man of the Year while averaging 14.9 points on 44.4 percent from three.
Sure, health concerns are there, as alluded to by Sidery. Brogdon has appeared in just 63 games over the past two seasons. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists in 24 games for the Wizards in 2024-25.
But snagging Brogdon on a vet min deal for 2025-26 would be a massive win for Stevens if that’s on the table.
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