NBA Trade Report: The Boston Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in offseason shake-up

The Boston Celtics had a poor 2024–25 National Basketball Association (NBA) season by their high standards. They were expected to be serious contenders to defend their title, having entered the season as the reigning champions.

However, they suffered an early playoff exit at the hands of the New York Knicks. Following this, Celtics management is eager to make changes as they prepare for next season, and according to reports, they have started by trading veteran star guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for young scoring guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round draft picks.

Holiday’s trade by the Celtics was expected, considering that the franchise has one of the highest payrolls in the NBA and needed to make moves to reduce their spending while remaining championship contenders. The 35-year-old was set to enter the second season of his four-year, $134 million contract with the Celtics. While he did play an important role in their 2023–24 NBA championship win, the Celtics’ management had little choice but to send him away.

BREAKING: The Boston Celtics have traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/2ycXQicGkT

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025

However, he struggled to maintain his high standards last season, averaging 11.1 points—his lowest since his rookie year in 2009–10—while his three-point shooting percentage dropped from 42.9% to 35.3%. In total, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, while also dealing with several minor injuries that forced him to miss 20 games. At 35, he is also approaching the later stages of his career and averaged 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in the 2024–25 NBA playoffs.

Despite his subpar 2024–25 performance and advancing age, Holiday is still considered a valuable addition to any team, as evidenced by his career averages of 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Selected as the 17th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA Draft, Holiday has also played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics, winning two NBA championships. The veteran guard is a two-time NBA All-Star and has made the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times in his career.

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