On the cusp of a critical post-season, veteran guard Jrue Holiday has agreed to secure his long-term future with the Boston Celtics. On Wednesday, Holiday’s agent, Jason Glushon, confirmed news that the 2x All-Star has agreed on a four-year, $135 million contract extension with the team.
“Jrue Holiday does exactly what he did three years ago in Milwaukee,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on NBA Countdown. “Spends a few months getting used to a new place, getting comfortable. He signed a four-year, $135 million with the Bucks, won a championship, and then won a gold medal. He’s hoping to repeat that cycle this year in Boston.”
Holiday could have been one of the summer’s top free agents, but he’s off the books now after committing to the next four years. The contract will likely outlive the rest of Holiday’s prime, but there’s hardly a better alternative for either party right now.
In 68 games this season, Jrue is averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while playing some of the best perimeter defense in the league. Meanwhile, the Celtics have dominated the East this season with a 62-17 record. They hold a 14-game lead for the top spot in the Conference and have only lost three times at home all year.
If Holiday truly cares about winning, there’s no better spot for him than Boston, and now he’s set up to win big in the final stages of his career alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. Of course, it starts with taking care of business this year as the team with the NBA’s best record.
A Huge Loss For The Bucks
While it’s still too soon for the Bucks to have regrets over the Damian Lillard trade, Jrue Holiday’s astounding success with the Celtics makes you wonder if they were better off not trading him at all.
With Jrue and Giannis leading the way, Milwaukee never had problems like this, and they were always among the best defensive teams in the league. So when the Bucks traded Holiday over the summer, it caught everyone off guard — including Holiday himself, who would later condemn the way Milwaukee handled the trade.
Lillard was chosen for his superstar potential, but he has been fine offensively, at best, and even worse everywhere else. Specifically, his lack of defensive resistance has given the Bucks a major vulnerability in the backcourt.
At just 48-31, the Bucks are in danger of not even crossing the 50-win mark, and they are dropping games left and right due to their inability to stop anyone.
In the midst of it all are doubts about Doc Rivers, questions about Khris Middleton, and concerns that one injury to Giannis might be all it takes for everything to come crashing down.
If Holiday and the Celtics go on to win the title this summer, even the Bucks may struggle to justify trading him away. But now that he’s gone and not coming back, the Bucks have no choice but to move on and hope for the best. As for Jrue, it’s safe to say he has no regrets about how everything played out last summer.
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