“On paper, that trade, adding Dame — out of 10 people, who wouldn’t make that trade?”
Jrue Holiday got the ultimate laugh over the Bucks after they traded him last September, but he took a level-headed approach when he recently reflected on the deal.
The Celtics guard said he wasn’t surprised that he was traded for Damian Lillard, understanding that many other people would’ve made that trade, too.
“I’ve been traded before as an All-Star from Philly to New Orleans. So, it wasn’t like it was that much of a shock,” Holiday said on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.” “But I understood the business of it. I mean, again, on paper, that trade, adding Dame — out of 10 people, who wouldn’t make that trade? I wouldn’t, just because it’s me. But, that’s just how it goes. That’s how the business works.”
The Bucks traded Holiday, along with Grayson Allen and multiple first-round picks, for Lillard as part of a three-team trade with the Trail Blazers and Suns less than a week before training camp opened for the 2023-24 NBA season. While the move sent shockwaves through the NBA at the time, the Bucks were mostly lauded for the move because they added one of the top point guards in recent memory to their roster after a first-round exit in the 2022-23 season.
While the Bucks added Lillard, the Trail Blazers immediately began shopping Holiday. Less than a week after acquiring the All-Star guard, Portland moved Holiday to Boston for Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round picks.
Holiday wound up becoming a pivotal piece to the Celtics’ championship run last season, averaging 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in the postseason. Even though Holiday enjoyed a title-winning season in Boston, he said on “The Draymond Green Show” in March that he didn’t like how his trade from the Bucks went down as he was napping at the time of the move.
“It was just a shock because at least let me know 24 hours in advance, not five minutes in advance. … I mean, we won. I won there,” Holiday said.
Milwaukee has been in a bit of a downturn ever since it traded Holiday. The team won 49 games last season, which was nine fewer than it won the year prior as its defense from fourth to 19th in defensive rating. The Bucks were knocked out in the first round again as well, losing to the Pacers in six games as star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the series due to an injury.
The Bucks’ struggles have carried into the start of the 2024-25 season. They were blown out by the Knicks on Friday to drop to 2-7. Their net rating is 23rd in the league and there are already rumors that the team is looking to make a trade to revamp their roster.
Holiday isn’t reveling in his former team’s shortcomings, though.
“It’s early,” Holiday said. “I don’t even know their record. I think they’re 1-and-something. So, it’s still early in the season and you never know what’ll happen.”
The Celtics haven’t appeared to have lost a step from their title-winning season. The team improved to 8-2 following their win over the Nets and are fourth in net rating. Holiday has been a strong contributor to that, averaging 12.7 points, four rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Even as the Celtics continue to dominate teams for a second straight season, Holiday thinks the team can reach another level.
“I definitely think we can be,” Holiday said when asked if he thinks the Celtics could be a better team in 2024-25 than they were last season. “I think it’s because of the chemistry we built. You go through something like a season last year … and you win, you do it together, and everybody’s not only the same page, but everyone messes with each other, it means a lot. I think the care for each other is there more. The intent, I think people not only want to do what’s best for yourself, but also the team and carries over into this year.
“So, I think we’re a lot better. And we don’t even have KP [Kristaps Porzingis] yet.”
