Just a year ago, it looked like the Boston Celtics were set up to be the next dynasty in the NBA after winning the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Now, just a year later, everything has come apart in Boston.
The Celtics' repeat bid was stymied by a pair of heroic comebacks from the New York Knicks and officially put to bed by a devastating torn Achilles suffered by Jayson Tatum. That injury has put next season in jeopardy in Boston and forced Brad Stevens and the rest of the front office to take a long, hard look at the roster.
In the end, it wasn't worth paying second apron penalties for a roster that isn't likely to compete for a championship in 2025-26 without Tatum on the floor. As a result, the Celtics sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in a pair of trades this offseason.
It's a bittersweet moment for Stevens and company, as both Holiday and Porzingis were a big part of that 2024 title run. Holiday quickly became a fan-favorite in Boston after spending a long time with the Milwaukee Bucks. After the trade was made official, Stevens talked about the legacy that Holiday built for himself during his two seasons with the Celtics, via Kerry Eggers.
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“I think he stamped his Hall of fame candidacy here, if he didn't already have it,” Stevens said. “We'll look forward watching and following him from afar. He is as good a person as you could ever have in your building and as part of your team.”
Of course, Holiday was re-routed to the Celtics from Portland in the trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee during the summer of 2023, and now he is back with the Blazers, at least for now. Even though his time in Boston was short, he will always be remembered as one of the missing pieces that took the Celtics from a feisty contender in the Eastern Conference to a champion.
The UCLA product has won a pair of NBA Championships after starring on the 2021 Bucks title team. While the individual accolades may not get him into the Hall of Fame, there is no question that his impact on team basketball and his elite two-way prowess make him one of the top guards of this generation.
