Celtics Insider Suggests Jrue Holiday Trade Package For Boston

Wednesday’s blockbuster NBA trade created a significant opportunity for the Celtics.

The Damian Lillard sweepstakes finally came to an end, as the Trail Blazers traded the seven-time All-Star to the Bucks in a three-team deal with the Suns. Among the other players involved in the trade was Jrue Holiday, who is expected to be moved by Portland as the franchise rebuilds around its younger players.

The Celtics reportedly will “explore” the possibility of acquiring Holiday, one of the league’s best defensive guards. In a column published Wednesday evening, The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn outlined a potential package the Celtics could offer the Blazers in exchange for Holiday.

“The Celtics could package Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford and multiple first-round picks for the rights to Holiday, who would assume point-guard duties and send Derrick White back to his shooting guard position. It all depends on the Trail Blazers,” Washburn wrote.

Purely from a basketball standpoint, Holiday could be a borderline perfect fit in Boston. The 33-year-old is the type of player who makes everyone around him better, and he could help fill the defensive and leadership voids created by Marcus Smart’s departure.

But when you check back into reality, you realize financials make a Holiday-to-Boston trade virtually impossible. The UCLA product accounts for a $36.8 million salary cap hit this season and a $37.3 million player option next campaign, which would be tough for the Celtics to take on under the terms of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Is there zero chance Holiday lands on Causeway Street? No. But it’s far more likely the star guard lands somewhere other than Boston.