Friday night's season-ending loss to the New York Knicks may have marked the end of the Boston Celtics core as we know it. Heading into an offseason with the team in a tough spot financially, subtracting moves will have to be made if the Celtics want to fall under the second-apron.
The looming reality of being without Jayson Tatum next season should be taken into account, as new ownership will be responsible for paying over $227 million in contracts next season, well over the second-apron threshold.
The 2025-2026 season should mark a small reset for the team. Not a rebuild, but a reset. Trading away expensive veteran players for more youth and draft capital would be a good way to start as the team embarks on a season without its best player.
For one current Celtic, the writing may be on the wall. After a season with less production and games played, paired with the emergence of his backup on a significantly better contract, Jrue Holiday may have just played his final game in a Boston uniform.
Jrue Holiday Unlikely to Be Back With the Celtics
The 34-year-old has made his impact known since he arrived in Beantown and was a significant piece in the Celtics' 2024 NBA championship. He was the perfect point guard for this team, given his defensive abilities and high IQ of the game.
While the team extended Holiday for four years just before the playoffs began last year, the current cap situation leaves the Celtics searching for ways to cut some expenses. Sadly, Holiday looks to be the most expendable given his age, contract, and decreasing production.
Holiday arrived just before the season started in 2023, while his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, acquired Damian Lillard. Jrue would be sent to the Trail Blazers and then to Boston, and looked to be a perfect replacement for Marcus Smart.
His first season in Boston led the team to a championship, as Holiday averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and nearly a steal and a block per game. Reaching the best 3-point percentage of his career (42.9%) and making clutch stops in the postseason while helping facilitate the offense, Holiday looked like a mainstay in Boston for years to come.
Jrue would also be named to his sixth All-Defensive team, contributing to the Celtics finishing third in defensive rating (111.6) en route to Banner 18.
This past season would see Holiday's offensive production go down while still providing great ability on the defensive end.
Across 30.6 minutes of action per game, Holiday's points, assists, and rebounds numbers all took a hit in year two with Boston. His shooting splits also took a hit, dropping from 48% to 44.3% from the field, and 42.9% to 35.3% from three as the Celtics attempted the most threes as a team this season.
Not only did the offensive production go down, but his availability did as well. Jrue played in seven fewer regular-season games this season, while playing in just two of five games in the first-round series against the Magic due to a hamstring strain.
Holiday will be 35 in June, and it looks like his best days are behind him. His production doesn't match a $32 million per year player, and with the Celtics having to cut some expenses, it seems a trade out of Boston will be inevitable during this offseason.
As mentioned earlier, getting younger and acquiring draft capital should be a priority if they were to ship Holiday off. There are a lot of teams that are a point guard away from contending, and Brad Stevens is no stranger to a big trade.
Trade speculation has already circulated as the Celtics saw their season come to an end, and now NBA fanalysts around the country will try to come up with a trade package, including one, if not both, of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard is only slated to make around $23 million total over the next three seasons, and played well enough to earn starting minutes last season. The best bench player in the league could be Boston's point guard of the future on a steal of a contract.
Aside from Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis is another obvious trade candidate. The team will also monitor the situations of Al Horford and Luke Kornet as they are both slated to hit free agency in July.
For now, the Celtics will watch from the sidelines as their season came to a screeching halt last week.