Report: Boston Celtics seeking first round pick, reduced cap hit in Jrue Holiday trade
The Boston Celtics are widely seen as a team likely to make substantive moves this offseason to get ahead of an unprecedented payroll and tax bill set to hand Boston more money in luxury tax penalties than actual salary. And while there have been but sparse rumbles to that end since the Celtics' season ended at the hands of the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, things seem to be heating up on the trade rumor front.
Fresh on the heels of a report from the Stein Line's Marc Stein that Boston has been fielding calls regarding veteran guard Jrue Holiday, Hardwood Paroxysm's Matt Moore relates that the Celtics are not just looking for "whatever reduced salary comes back in the deal," but also a first round draft pick.
This appears to fly in the face of some reports making the rounds earlier in Boston's offseason that the Celtics might need to attach draft capital to get off of Holiday's substantial remaining salary, but with teams often negotiating through the media at this point in the league calendar, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle.
Holiday still has considerable value as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and while his offensive game has slipped a bit with age, he can still deliver a punch on that end of the court when his number is called. The UCLA alum is owed $32.4 million next season, $34.8 million in 2026-27, and has a team option for $37.2 million in 2027-28, a substantial financial commitment even considering what Holiday brings as a player in this cap environment.
We have heard reporting tying the Boston guard to the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks in recent weeks, and that field might expand further pending what other moves are made (or closed off) as we get closer to the 2025 NBA draft on June 25.
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