The Celtics are interested in Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
O’Connor, who previously reported that Boston was interested in packaging its three first-round picks (Nos. 14, 26, and 30) in order to move up in the draft – perhaps to No. 6 – hears from multiple league sources that Boston’s intent would be to flip that newly-acquired mid-lottery pick to New Orleans in a deal for Holiday.
As O’Connor observes, the Celtics wouldn’t be able to take on Holiday’s contract ($26.2MM in 2020/21) without sending out significant salary of their own. Kemba Walker ($34.4MM) and Gordon Hayward ($34.2MM) are the only two players that would really make sense as outgoing pieces.
Presumably, of those two veterans, Boston would be more inclined to move Hayward, who would be on an expiring contract if he picks up his player option. Walker is under contract through 2023. It’s possible a deal between the C’s and Pelicans would also include other players and/or picks.
Holiday, 30, is coming off a 2019/20 season in which he averaged 19.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.6 SPG with a shooting line of .455/.353/.709 in 61 games (34.7 MPG) for the Pelicans. Although he didn’t earn a spot on one of this season’s All-Defensive teams, he has done so twice in the past and is widely considered one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders. He holds a $27.1MM player option for 2021/22, giving him an opportunity to reach free agency next year.
New Orleans is said to be “openly discussing” the possibility of trading Holiday, with the Hawks and Nuggets among the many teams linked to him.
A bit mind boggling
Trade doesn’t make sense they need a big man or somebody like cp3
Save the luxury tax
They need to dump Kemba that’s what they need…makes perfect sense.
Talk about a chemistry cancer…geez…keep CP Crybaby away !!
Hayward and picks, trade kemba for a big
Kemba to NYK for Randle
Kemba is the best free agent boston has picked up in a while. He was trash in playoffs but i feel he’ll bounce back.
Positionless defensive basketball. If you add Jrue to Tatum, Brown, Kemba, and Smart, that’s a Finals contender right there. They really don’t need a dominant big man. A cheap guy like Javale would work or the hope that Robert Williams takes another leap would be good enough.
Do not forget Nets have a better bench
I’d be good with trading Kemba for Jrue… Just the improvement on defense would make the C’s dangerous. Imagine Tatum, Jrue, Smart and Brown on perimeter D? Good luck to the other teams on that one.
Kemba doesn’t make since in NOLA with Lonzo there. I don’t think he’s going anywhere
Sense*
You still need bigs. Ask the Rockets. That team would get destroyed by any number of teams with a couple good offensive big men.
Maybe they could snag someone that’s serviceable with the MLE that’s looking to have a shot at a title. Not sure who that player is though.
Definitely could. Nerlens Noel may want more money but he’d be a nice get for Boston
You got beat by heat who got owned by lakers. Celtics aren’t close to lakers, clippers, heat, bucks.
Tat, under that logic though the C’s are ahead of Bucks
Yeah, also under that logic the Nuggets are better than the Clippers. I guess, cuz it’s dumb logic.
It’s double edged. How are the Lakers or Nuggets with really good big man going to react to a team with a number of defensive options?
Wiggins 22,5,4
Holiday 19,7,5
Wiggins age 25
Holiday age 30
All fg% are basically the same
Wiggins is a revolving door on D with seemingly limited basketball IQ. Jrue>Wiggins if you look at the whole game of basketball.
wiggins is not near the level jrue is on.
Wiggins is a very underrated defender. In fact, his career defensive rating (114) is higher than Holiday’s (112). Wiggins O & D ratings last season were 106 & 113. Holiday’s were 108 & 112. They are very similar players on both offense and defense. So either Wiggins is underrated or Holiday is overrated or both. And the salaries are very similar as well. Wiggins just has the undeserved stigma of not living to his completely unrealistic hype as an overall #1 while Holiday coasted by as an under the radar mid 1st round pick.
If his defensive rating is higher, it means he is ranked below Holiday, not above him. Giannis had a rating of 97 last year.
I know that. My point was that everyone is talking about Holiday like he is some kind of defensive whiz and Wiggins like he is some kind of open gate and the numbers show they are not that different.
Cool, you just said his defensive rating was higher than Holidays like it was a good thing.
I left off the phrase “but only slightly” so I understand your misreading it. Either way, it shows that Holiday is not the “excellent defender” that you claim him to be.
Holiday has made the all-defensive team twice in 2018 and 2019, He was first team in 2018. that means the voters of this award considered him one of the top 10 defensive players of the year, in 2018 and 2019. Not sure what else to say.
Lillard says he is the best defensive guard in the league. link to essentiallysports.com You might want to tell him he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Well then, Andrew Wiggins must be close behind because the stats have them very close together.
There are no good stats for defense. Hollinger with his BORG goes there but it was misadvertized as a financial figure— a way to estimate FA salaries— so it may not catch on. There are also “subscription” stats. But the Dthis Rtg and DPM do not account for whether they cover the other team’s best or worst, or help out teammates, or disrupt plans.
At any rate, (so far), the presence of Wiggins does not help his team. Wolves fans mention a lack of heart. Don’t worry I doubt he reads this stuff. If he slides in at GSW that will help but GSW was one of the invited and a learning moment may have passed.
Do you actually watch basketball> Holiday is an excellent defender who can handle the ball and create for others.
Wiggins is…Wiggins.
^ well said
Everyone has to remember that this is smokescreen/BS week in the NBA. Every year, the week before the draft is 90% bs. Take pretty everything with a grain of salt this week.
The media today has zero backbone to most stories…they are literally just a passing thought of the author basically…or just clickbait material…’cause clickbait is where the money is.
Feels like there are too many moving parts that would need to be worked out for him to head to Boston
I would trade Walker now before his knee problems get worse.
Surely Griffi would not fall for that. Or anyone! Waker is like Olidip regarding valuation.
Thats the one thing I didn’t really consider… if Walker’s knee is going to be an issue every season going forward… maybe you’re right dealing him now would be the best move for the Celtics. The problem with doing that is that Kemba is the highest profile FA the Celtics have signed in a LONG time… and if they ship him out just 1 year after signing him… they’re basically setting themselves up to never lure another FA to Boston ever again. But if Kemba’s knee is going to basically cost him 20-25+ games a year going forward… it might be worth it anyway
this one seems a bit strange. I’m not sure I really see the fit at all. I wouldn’t even necessarily be interested in a 1-1 swap of Hayward or Walker straight up for Holiday nevermind a trade in which you’d have to give up one of them and significant additional assets to acquire him. I ge that he’s one of the better perimeter defenders but outside of that I just really don’t see what he adds to the team. He’s not a particularly great 3-pt shooter, and position wise just puts them in the same situation they’ve been in where they have too many 2s and 3s and no real big-man. I guess the only way I really see it having and value is if they somehow could acquire him while keeping Hayward and Walker… in that scenario he’d essentially be the replacement for Marcus Smart… and THAT would be a significant improvement. But to make the $ work they’d basically have to include every other player on their roster making more than league minimum I think? Idk I just don’t really understand the logic/interest behind this unless there’s some sort of unfixable chemistry problem and they really have to make some changes to the roster just for the sake of fixing their chemistry — but idk I just don’t see it — at least not with Hayward or Walker unless there’s something we really haven’t yet heard about.
If the Celtics want a 5 for Kemba… Al Horford is certainly available.
Lol that would be hilarious