NBA: J’Rue Holiday to the Celtics for Brogdon and Robert Williams

Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics. The NBA market, just over three weeks away from the start of the 2023-24 season, offers another twist. It was obvious and well known that the Portland Trail Blazers intended to sell Holiday immediately, only “in passing” and virtually, in Oregon, acquired in the exchange for the sale of Dame Lillard. They refounded, they were chasing choices in the next draft, rather. But where the 33-year-old former Milwaukee Bucks guard could end up was a mystery. Many wanted him, we are talking about ambitious teams, because he is still one of the best perimeter defenders around. He ends up in Boston because the Celtics, after having sold their great defender on the outside, Marcus Smart, to Memphis, badly needed a replacement. Found.

THE EXCHANGE

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The Celtics for Holiday give up guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams, the Golden State Warriors’ 2024 draft choice, probably very low in the first round, and even a first pick in the 2029 draft. Holiday will be under contract in Beantown for this season at almost 35 million dollars, for the next one he has an exercisable option to guarantee himself over 37 million more in greenbacks. Holiday for Portland was the main counterpart for Lillard in the three-way exchange 4 days ago which also involved the Phoenix Suns.

BOSTON PERSPECTIVE

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The Celtics sacrifice two crucial players, but with obvious physical unknowns. Too often injured. Williams is 25, Brogdon is 30. They’re not old, not at all. But they are fragile, the director from Virginia University perhaps worn out. Williams certainly brought to Coach Mazzulla the ability to defend his own basket, the protection of the rim which perhaps makes him a role player, but unique. For athleticism and quality as an intimidator, as a shot blocker. Brogdon is one of the most cerebral players in the NBA. Complete, excellent leader, moreover. But dealing with a lot of physical issues in the recent past. Holiday is no longer a child, he has been playing in the NBA since 2009, but he seems intact, physically. He played 67 games last season, compared to 35 for Williams and 67 in the regular season for Brogdon who, however, was never even close to 100% in the playoffs. Holiday essentially replaces Smart as a defensive role, as a playmaker who makes the difference especially on that side of the pitch. Not as vocal leadership: Holiday talks as much as Kawhi Leonard, Smart was a hurricane, when he served and sometimes perhaps even when he wouldn’t have served. Effervescent, not easy to handle. Holiday on the other hand is the classic good guy. Essentially, the Greens lost Smart, Brogdon and Robert Williams from the market and brought the big Latvian Kris Porzingis to New England and the strongest Holiday of the three protagonist brothers in the NBA. The Porzingis-Horford couple from a historical and registry point of view still presents questions of athletic “strength” and the rotation is now further shortened by a “credible” man, but evidently Brad Stevens, the first manager of the Celtics, believed that the Tatum-Brown couple, the strong core of the team, needed a different supporting cast, after the recent playoff disappointments. Boston’s quintet on paper is of enormous quality: Holiday, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, Horford. But the C’s are short, the coach is a diminutio and the games that the two big men will be able to play are anything but a certainty.

PORTLAND PERSPECTIVE

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Brogdon is unlikely to stay with the Blazers. Who on the perimeter focus on their young players: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons. The future of Robert Williams must be deciphered: certainly in Rip City he would replace Ayton, acquired with his sultan contract in the trade with Phoenix. Overall, the Trail Blazers sold Damian Lillard, their 7-time All Star, third best NBA quintet in the last season and symbol of the franchise, with Ayton, Williams, Brogdon (?), Camara, Golden State’s first choice of 2024 and that of Milwaukee and Boston in 2029. The possible (not certain, it will depend on convenience, obviously, and it is not a given) exchanges of 2028 and 2030 picks with the Bucks. There remains more smoke than fire considering that Ayton’s contract is among the worst in the league, but at least he makes “meat” in terms of quantity to legitimize the farewell to their leader of the pack.