The Boston Celtics decisions aren’t always the easiest to predict and that’s especially true this offseason. Following a team sale and freak injury, the Celtics —though rich, proud and mighty —are at a crossroads. This has led to immense speculation about the team breaking up a core that won a championship just last year.
To level with everyone, no one on the roster is really safe. Yet, “the focus for” media members and analysts has been six-time All-Defensive selection Jrue Holiday. In fact, on a recent airing of The Zach Lowe Show, eponymous NBA insider Zach Lowe reports: “I’ve heard that there have been at least very broad discussions of three-team, (Kevin) Durant-related trades where Jrue Holiday is (included)…”
Celtics Starter Jrue Holiday Being Discussed In Kevin Durant Trade
Hypothetically, the heretofore unnamed third team could be the Dallas Mavericks, who have him on their short list of stop-gap guard targets. The Sacramento Kings are another contender that would like to add him. Ultimately, because of Holiday’s pedigree, he should have a few deeply interested suitors. For simplicity’s sake though, let’s say that Phoenix and Boston have talked turkey with Dallas and Sacramento.
What might those deals look like?
Brass Tacks
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but Boston is a second apron team. The result is that they can’t aggregate contracts until they shed salary. If Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is their target, that seemingly means the Celtics will have to dump Kristaps Porzingis —who’ll make $30.7 million next season on an expiring contract —in a separate transaction in order to make any deal work.
Dallas Mavericks
The Celtics are seemingly hoping to shed salary and the Mavericks have multiple players whose contracts will expire next summer. As it so happens, those of Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington and Dwight Powell total approximately $32.5 million. Said figure is conveniently close to Holiday’s 2025-26 salary ($32.4 million) but far from what Durant will make ($54.7 million).
To make salaries match, Boston will send Holiday to Dallas as Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Baylor Scheierman to the Suns. For their part, the Mavs will trade Gafford, Washington and Powell to the Phoenix.
Celtics receive: Durant
Suns receive: Gafford, Washington, Pritchard, Hauser, Tillman, Powell, Scheierman, 2025 No. 28 pick, future first-round pick (via Celtics)
Mavs receive: Holiday
Sacramento Kings
The Kings didn’t do much right last season but at least they won’t be restricted by the first or second apron. Indeed, that freedom of movement could seriously help them being the team that makes the deal. In other words, Sacramento may inherently be one of the easier teams to deal with. On top of that, the Suns would probably like the combination of DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas quite a lot.
DeRozan doesn’t have Durant’s range but there’s real overlap in their style and shot-making prowess. Furthermore, the Suns want a starting-caliber center and Valanciunas carries that label.
Celtics receive: Durant
Suns receive: DeRozan, Valanciunas, Pritchard, Hauser, Tillman, Scheierman, future first-round pick (via Celtics)
Kings receive: Holiday
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