Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday trades free Brad Stevens to build younger, more athletic Celtics

Boston Globe

25-06-2025

Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The transition to lead player has been uneven for Simons, who averaged 19.9 points per game and shot 38.1 percent from the 3-point line over the past four seasons, when he was a primary option. But Simons was not considered a foundational piece for the Blazers once they drafted Scoop Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe and acquired Deni Avdija.
Advertisement
What's more, Simons actually requested a trade before last season according to a Blazers source, seeking a return to his native Orlando. The Blazers didn't oblige, Simons played out last season but was hoping for a change of scenery this summer.
Advertisement
And now he has a chance to play on a bigger stage with a potentially larger role alongside Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, filling Holiday's void in the starting lineup.
The Celtics did not want to trade Holiday or Porzingis and they fully intended to keep both for the long term before Tatum's injury. The second apron was worth the penalty as long as the Celtics were playing into mid-June. But once Tatum was sidelined, the Celtics' short-term agenda changed and the blueprint laid out by both the Thunder and Pacers is that the recipe for success in the new CBA is youth, value contracts, and athleticism.
These are Boston's first steps in that direction. Simons will get an opportunity to become a main offensive option for a contending team and change his reputation as an uninterested defender. And while he'll fit into Joe Mazzulla's system perfectly with his ability to shoot the three, especially off the dribble, he'll have to improve defensively.
Newly acquired guard Anfernee Simons (left) will need to improve defensively while with the Celtics.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
There are those in Portland who believe Simons needed a change of scenery. He hasn't played in the postseason since 2021 and he and some of his former teammates actually attended the Celtics' Game 3 loss to the Magic in their first-round series in April.
Simons played his high school ball at Orlando's Edgewater High School before finishing his postgraduate year at IMG Academy. The Blazers selected him 24th in 2018 and he slowly developed into a consistent and skilled backcourt scorer.
He basically played in obscurity during his time in Portland, especially after the Blazers decided to blow up their roster and completely rebuild following the trade of Lillard to the Bucks. The Blazers' re-acquisition of Holiday is a prime example they're ready to compete in the Western Conference and take a major step toward playoff contention.
Advertisement
Holiday remains a useful and selfless player and he'll serve as a veteran leader; positive locker room influence on Henderson and Sharpe and an adult in the room for coach Chauncey Billups. The Blazers made a brief sprint toward play-in contention last season before falling short and such a late-season run encouraged the organization to add a significant contract and move on from Simons.
There will be plenty of motivation for Simons to flourish in the Mazzulla system. He will be playing for his next contract and to boost his reputation as a potential rising star. The Celtics will get the opportunity to adjust their offensive arsenal with Jaylen Brown as the potential centerpiece.
The Celtics want to keep Brown and White and surround them with younger pieces that will blend into an exciting product. With Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles', the Pacers are no longer the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference next season. At this point, there is no prohibitive favorite because every team has their issues.
The Knicks still don't have a coach. The Cavaliers are still the same team that was thumped by the Pacers in five games. The Magic added a shooter but still lack a point guard. The Pistons are skilled but still haven't won a playoff series.
Simons offers the Celtics a chance for a new look and the franchise will give players such as Baylor Scheierman and perhaps Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta an opportunity for increased roles, as well as the two new draft picks who will become Celtics in the next 48 hours.
Advertisement
Stevens miraculously made two deals in less than 24 hours to get under the salary cap second apron to avoid all those unwanted restrictions and he has taken advantage of the opportunity to retool the roster by making necessary but difficult deals. Progress and change are usually painful in professional sports, especially when players who meant so much to a championship team become expendable.
Holiday being owed approximately $100 million over the next three years, including a $37.2 million player option in 2027-28, meant he had to be moved for the new ownership group to avoid massive luxury taxes and have the flexibility to build a roster around Tatum and Brown. Holiday will be remembered for being the glue player on a championship team, a player who gave to the community and sacrificed his numbers for the sake of the franchise. He should be applauded and revered.
Porzingis played well for the Celtics — when he played — but injuries and his expiring $30 million contract made him expendable. He was a fan favorite, relishing an opportunity to win and be embraced for his uniqueness, but his viability in Boston had waned in the past few months.
The Celtics had to adjust to these changing times, and these trades were necessary and beneficial for both the short term and long term.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at