Jrue Holiday is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, but it’s not from a lack of a push by the Boston Celtics.
Leading up to Holiday getting dealt to Milwaukee, the Celtics were rumored to be one of the teams in hot pursuit of the star two-way guard.
He made perfect sense for Boston, but according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz, the New Orleans Pelicans wanted a top-10 pick for Holiday. The Celtics tried to get one so they could flip it to New Orleans, but no such deal ever came through.
“The Bucks have been more motivated than any team to acquire Holiday, but they weren’t the best equipped. The Pelicans made it known to suitors that they wanted a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, sources said, and a number of teams went hunting to try to get one. The Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics were particularly aggressive but couldn’t find a deal.”
Arnovitz and Windhorst went on to report that the Bucks managed to get Holiday because they had a ton of long-term draft capital to send New Orleans’ way, and once the Pelicans realized they weren’t getting a top-10 pick, their focus shifted, paving the way for Milwaukee to enter talks.
The end result was Milwaukee landing Holiday, the Pelicans getting Eric Bledsoe and a bunch of draft picks, and the Celtics holding on to the 14th overall selection, which they used on Vanderbilt sharpshooter Aaron Nesmith.
