It seems like the Boston Celtics are always pretty close to landing a star and somehow, they failed to meet the other team’s asking price. This time, Danny Ainge reportedly had his eyes set on Jrue Holiday before the Milwaukee Bucks swooped in.
According to Zach Harper of The Athletic, Ainge was trying to move away Kemba Walker – just one year after signing him to a multi-year extension – to try and land the top-10 pick the Pelicans were expecting in return for their two-way stalwart:
“Danny Ainge was throwing Kemba at everybody trying to get the picks for Jrue. Instead… it won’t be happy Holidays for him,” Harper tweeted.
Danny Ainge was throwing Kemba at everybody trying to get the picks for Jrue. Instead… it won’t be happy Holidays for him
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) November 17, 2020
Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks sent away George Hill, Eric Bledsoe, three future first-round picks, and two pick-swaps to try and pair the 30-year-old guard with Giannis Antetokounmpo during the final year of his contract.
It’s pretty clear that Jrue Holiday would be a massive upgrade over Kemba Walker in terms of defense. As for the offense, Walker is a superior player overall but the Celtics may not need him with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum leading the way for the foreseeable future.
If Ainge had pulled the trigger and managed to trade Kemba for a top-10 pick, then the Celtics would have had their third different point guard in three seasons after already trading for Kyrie Irving.
Then again, it doesn’t feel like their problem has been playmaking but lack of size and tough luck in the playoffs. Now, we’ll have to wait and see what Ainge does to put them back on top of the Eastern Conference and whether Walker will stay with the team or not.
