It was a foregone conclusion that the Boston Celtics would undergo some changes this offseason. They will be without their star Jayson Tatum and facing a $180 million luxury tax bill, with their new owners taking the helm.
The first of those dominoes has fallen in pursuit of sliding below the second apron. Jrue Holiday, who was a pivotal piece to their championship in 2024, has been traded to the Portland Trailblazers. While the deal saves Boston money in the immediate future, not everyone is pleased.
According to someone close to the situation, Holiday is not pleased to be in Portland, which raises the question of whether he will even suit up for the Trail Blazers or be traded again.
Holiday is Reportedly “Pi**ed” That He’s Going to Portland
Alongside Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday was aware that there was a possibility that he would be traded for financial reasons after the Celtics failed to repeat as champions. At 35, coming off of one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, and with three years left on a 4-year $134M contract, Holiday was a prime candidate for a salary dump.
But knowing that still didn’t soften the blow of leaving Boston for Holiday, where he had developed ties with the Celtics franchise and the city of Boston. As a result, Holiday is reportedly “pi**ed” about being traded away, according to someone close to the situation.
That same source said, “Now, if he winds up staying there, I’m sure he’ll be the professional he’s always been and make a positive contribution. But he’s not happy with this deal. I’ll be surprised if Portland doesn’t move him on if they can, because right now he does not want to go there.”
Jrue Holiday is reportedly “pissed” that he was traded to the Blazers and “he does not want to go there”, per @SteveBHoop.
Holiday was expected to be a casualty of second apron concerns, so he knew the possibility was very real that he’d be dealt away from Boston. pic.twitter.com/2SZwpjHutA
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 25, 2025
This news may throw a wrench into Portland’s plans, as they likely viewed Holiday as a guiding veteran stabilizer who could play a mentorship role for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. The source reiterated that Holiday would not cause an issue and said, “I’m sure if he has to go to Portland, he’ll end up going, and it’ll be OK, but right now they want to be somewhere else. But with that contract, it’s not going to be that easy.”
On Tuesday, Boston traded Holiday to Portland for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks. They also traded Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal also involving the Brooklyn Nets.
