Celtics’ Jrue Holiday Holds No Resentment For Bucks: ‘I Can’t Be Mad’

BOSTON — Celtics guard Jrue Holiday isn’t clinging onto any hard feelings for the Bucks, heading into his first matchup with Milwaukee since being traded in the offseason.

Deeply attached to the city and organization, which Holiday once considered a spot he’d desire to play for the remainder of his career, the offseason closed the door on those thoughts.

Milwaukee favored stardom in adding Damian Lillard, leaving Holiday to undergo two trades before settling in with the Celtics — a reality the 33-year-old knows all players should be prepared for.

“We do know that this is a business and from a business standpoint, I’m in a very good position to be where I wanna be and that’s to win a championship,” Holiday told reporters hours before Wednesday night’s Celtics-Bucks battle, per CLNS Media video. “Again, still happy to be here. None of that has ever changed.”

While the Bucks aimed for an upgrade so did the Celtics. At the first chance to acquire Holiday, an addition that’s intrigued president of basketball operations Brad Stevens for years prior, Boston lunged.

The Celtics sacrificed both Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III — two key pieces that weren’t easy to part ways with — in order to land Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers. And so far, so good for Boston.

Holiday’s effectiveness that Stevens envisioned has quickly come to life. The three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team veteran ranks second in rebounds (7.4) averaged among all guards, trailing 6-foot-7 Luka Doncic (eight) of the Dallas Mavericks.

Just 14 games in, the Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference at 11-3 while the Bucks have worked around their struggles to adapt defensively without Holiday’s services at 10-4, right behind Boston.

“I think that they got what they wanted,” Holiday explained. “So I can’t be mad at that. A warning would’ve been cool. But other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them, which is for the top team in the East and, hopefully, the top team in the league.”

Wednesday night should serve as the trailer for a season-long dogfight between Boston and Milwaukee, with Holiday right at the center for Round 1.