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.
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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.”
“Yes, they actually did”
—@Money23Green responds to Joel Embiid’s tweet about the Bucks giving Boston the championship pic.twitter.com/LugP7RMM4w
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 13, 2024
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.
Lauren Holiday with a poignant reminder of the human toll of players being traded: pic.twitter.com/jgVw1OsKQy
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) October 5, 2023
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?
