In order to avoid having their significant offseason trade acquisition turn into a one-year rental, the Boston Celtics are taking precautions.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that guard Jrue Holiday had reached an agreement with the Celtics to sign a $135 million, four-year contract deal. Holiday will remain in Boston after the relocation until 2028
Holiday joined the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade during the summer. The Blazers had acquired Holiday from the Bucks as part of the Damian Lillard blockbuster. Holiday is a two-time career All-Star and five-time All-Defensive pick. By declining his $37.4 million player option for the upcoming season, he could have departed the Celtics in free agency this summer. However, that year will now essentially be replaced by his new deal, which adds three more years.
The Celtics are actually saving money on Holiday for the upcoming season, as the deal is worth slightly less than $34 million year on average. However, it is extremely hazardous to provide such a large contract to a player who will soon turn 34 and hasn’t played 70 games in a season since 2017–18. Holiday’s current stats, which stand at 12.5 points and 4.9 assists per game—are also the lowest they have been in a decade—may be attributed to the Celtics’ potent offensive lineup.
Holiday is still one of the best defenders in the NBA, and this season, he is making more threes than ever before (43.1%). The Celtics intend to make the most of their present championship window and will keep Holiday around in case he decides to win it all and exact revenge on his previous team.
Fans’ suspicions are understandable given the slew of betting scandals that have recently shook the sports world.
After seeing the big man make his way to the locker room, anyone who had actually placed a wager on Embiid’s player props versus the Magic may have lost heart. Late in the second quarter, it seemed as though the 76ers star’s left knee injury had gotten worse.
However, Embiid was able to come back after halftime and led Philadelphia to a 125-113 victory, looking as strong as ever. Embiid recorded 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in the game’s conclusion.
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