Celtics Praised by NBA Fans for Jrue Holiday Trade After Bucks Landed Damian Lillard

The Boston Celtics reportedly have a new point guard.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the team dealt Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, a 2024 first-round pick that was previously acquired from the Golden State Warriors and a 2029 unprotected first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday.

Holiday, who had been acquired by the Blazers Wednesday in the Damian Lillard trade, had been with the Milwaukee Bucks for the past three seasons. He helped the team win the 2021 NBA Championship and now will head to one of the Bucks' fiercest competitors in the Eastern Conference.

This deal comes despite reports of a "significant gap" between the Celtics and Blazers as recently as last night. However, the deal is now complete and Boston has it's next gritty guard to compete alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Holiday averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his three seasons in Milwaukee, a stretch that can be considered the most successful of his career. While his offensive contributions are notable, his defensive prowess is where he sets himself apart.

Holiday is a five-time All-Defense honoree and will look to fill the role of Marcus Smart, who was traded by the Celtics in June. Smart was a fan-favorite in Boston and so far fans on social media have expressed similar excitement over the potential Holiday has with the Celtics.

The Celtics now have a potential starting five that includes Holiday, Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis and Derrick White. This improvement from a team that went 57-25 in 2022-23 and reached the Conference Finals while also reaching the NBA Finals a year prior shows that the Celtics are committed to winning with the nucleus of Brown and Tatum.