Source: Patrick McDermott / Getty
Damian Lillard has finally found a new home in Milwaukee which should help the team return to its NBA championship glory. But Lillard also helped the Boston Celtics, who just acquired point guard Jrue Holiday in exchange for Robert Williams III and Matthew Brogdon. In addition, the Blazers get a 2029 first-round pick in the three-team trade.
The Blazers acquired Holiday in the deal that sent Lillard to Milwaukee but with no plans to keep him, per ESPN. Holiday, a Southern California native, thanked the fans in Milwaukee, where he spent the last three seasons after stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Philadephia 76’ers. He won a championship with the Bucks and their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021.
“Thank you fans! For those who know me best, you know we are all about family,” Holiday posted. “Milwaukee you welcomed me and my family into your city, into your homes, into your hearts. We will forever be champions together and me and my family will forever be grateful and thankful. Until next time, thanks for everything!”
The Celtics were a close second to the Bucks last year in the Eastern Conference, with just one win separating them. But while the Celtics were one game away from beating Miami, the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Bucks lost badly to the Heat in the first round.
Holiday, 33, averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds for the Bucks last season in 67 games. In 2023, he made the All-Star team for the second time, setting a record as a player with the longest gap between All-Star appearances. He was first an All-Star with the Sixers in 2013.
“We are excited to see Jrue in a Celtics uniform. He plays the game with a great competitive character and his impact on and off the court has been felt everywhere throughout his career,” Brad Stevens, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, said in a press release. “We are overjoyed to welcome Jrue, Lauren, and the entire Holiday family to Boston.”
Holiday has won numerous awards dedicated to both sportsmanship and philanthropy. He and his wife are recipients of the 2023 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian ESPY Award for the work they do in the community. In August, they hosted The Holiday’s Dual Court Classic in Los Angeles, their inagural celebrity basketball and soccer match to benefit Black founders during Black Business and Philanthropy Month.
See how excited social media is about the trade below.
