How NBA Insider Graded Celtics-Trail Blazers Jrue Holiday Trade

The Boston Celtics wasted little time in delivering a counterpunch after the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Celtics on Sunday landed Jrue Holiday — one of the players Portland received from Milwaukee in the Lillard deal — in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, a 2024 first-round draft pick and an unprotected 2029 first-rounder.

The move bolsters Boston’s backcourt, with Holiday being a two-time All-Star who’s earned five NBA All-Defensive Team nods. He’s a proven leader with a championship pedigree, hence why Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was comfortable parting with two valuable rotation players in addition to draft capital.

So, how did the Celtics and Trail Blazers make out in the blockbuster?

ESPN NBA insider Kevin Pelton graded the trade Sunday and clearly views this as a win-win move for both Boston and Portland.

Pelton gave the Celtics a “B+” and the Blazers an “A-” for the swap.

Here’s an excerpt from Pelton’s assessment of the Celtics:

Holiday is an ideal fit alongside Boston’s core players, supplying the organizing ability the Celtics hoped they would get when they added Brogdon last summer without compromising either their outside shooting or their defense. Holiday is an upgrade offensively over Marcus Smart — sent by Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this offseason in a deal that netted one of the first-round picks sent to Portland in this trade — and little, if any, defensive downgrade from the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year.

With Holiday, the Celtics could have the NBA’s best six-player core. Coach Joe Mazzulla can still toggle back and forth between smaller lineups with Holiday and Derrick White together in the backcourt and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum at forward and bigger units that put both Al Horford and newcomer Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt together, shifting Brown and Tatum to the wing at the likely expense of White.

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Obviously, there’s a lot to like about the trade from the Celtics’ perspective. Their starting five is stacked. Depth could become an issue at some point, particularly in the frontcourt, but few teams, if any, can match Boston’s top-level talent.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Celtics approach their financial future. Jaylen Brown just signed a supermax extension. Kristaps Porzingis inked a contract extension, as well. Toss in Jayson Tatum’s looming supermax and a potential new deal for Holiday, and it’s a very expensive situation facing Boston’s front office.

But that’s a reality the C’s clearly are OK with if it means hanging Banner 18 at TD Garden in Boston.