Draymond Green Agrees With Joel Embiid Claiming Bucks Handed Celtics the Championship

Draymond Green Agrees With Joel Embiid Claiming Bucks Handed Celtics the Championship

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were the stars of the show in the Boston Celtics’ win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. However, veteran guard Jrue Holiday was arguably just as important, especially on the defensive end. This prompted Joel Embiid to wonder whether the Milwaukee Bucks had handed the Celtics the title by trading the guard before Draymond Green revealed he agreed with the notion.

On The Draymond Green Show, the Golden State Warriors star explained how the Milwaukee Bucks could have avoided this whole situation. Expounding on his point, he posed that the franchise could have looked to pair Jrue Holiday up with Damian Lillard, and why it would work out perfectly for the franchise.

“The answer to Joel’s question is yes, they actually did. They traded Jrue away. Even in that trade you got to find and do all you can to keep Jrue. Because Jrue can guard bigger [players]. Jrue can play off the ball or on the ball, like there’s no fit mismatch with Jrue and Dame.” 

Green’s analysis is spot on. The Bucks may have wanted Lillard’s offensive prowess but were wrong to give up the quality Jrue Holiday for it.

Instead, pairing the veteran guards would’ve helped them improve tremendously on offense while retaining the defensive identity that led to their winning a championship in 2021. And of course, it would have prevented the Boston Celtics from being such a force as well.

Instead, they opted to trade Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers as a salary dump. Almost immediately after the trade, Boston got on the phone with the Oregon side’s general manager, Joe Cronin, and acquired the last player they needed. And now, due to this, the Celtics are on the verge of winning yet another NBA championship.

Jrue Holiday was the missing piece for the Celtics’ championship dreams

After the Bucks traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers to land Damian Lillard, the veteran guard’s wife, Lauren Holiday, opened up about feeling blindsided by the franchise that her husband helped win a championship. She posted a statement on her social media accounts to slam the Bucks and NBA executives in general for treating players like commodities.

The trade meant the family had to uproot their lives and move 2,000 miles away before Boston stepped in. They handed Holiday a four-year, $135 million contract, something he has more than repaid through his contributions.

Despite playing as the fifth option on offense, he averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, while shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc in the regular season. In the playoffs, he has improved his production to 13.2 points, six rebounds, and 4.5 assists, something he has done while guarding the opponents’ best player every night.

Holiday had his best game as a Celtic in Game 2 of the Finals, scoring 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting in a narrow seven-point win for his team. The veteran guard has been worth his weight in gold so far. But can he now keep it coming, and seal the title for Boston?

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Draymond Green Joel Embiid Jrue Holiday

About the author

Avatar photo

Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

Jay Lokegaonkar is a basketball journalist who has been following the sports as a fan 2005. He has worked in a slew of roles covering the NBA, including writer, editor, content manager, social media manager, and head of content since 2018. However, his primary passion is writing about the NBA. Especially throwback stories about the league's iconic players and franchises. Revisiting incredible tales and bringing scarcely believable stories to readers are one his main interests as a writer.

Don’t miss these