Who will replace Jrue Holiday on the Boston Celtics?
Jrue Holiday's tenure with the Boston Celtics appears to be coming to an end. The veteran guard is expected to be traded this summer as Brad Stevens begins to retool the roster following Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon tear. Holiday has three years remaining on his current $134 million deal, with the final year being a player option. The $30+ million yearly salary is likely a driving force behind Boston's desire to part with the two-time NBA champion.
Interestingly, throughout all the trade chatter about Holiday, there's been little talk about how the Celtics could replace him. Losing a player of Holiday's caliber is a significant blow. Stevens will need to find a suitable replacement, either long-term or someone who can work as a stopgap.
During a recent episode of NESN's "Hold My Banner," Kasey Hudson and Ountae Campbell discussed the rumors surrounding Holiday's future before exploring potential replacement players. They focused on veteran guards who could help plug a gap while Stevens hunted for longer-term solutions at the guard position.
You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded video above.
Watch the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on:
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS
Website: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
21 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
3 Best 2025 NBA Draft Fits for Rutgers Star Dylan Harper
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, is coming off a superb freshman season in Piscataway, where he dazzled as an impact scorer who facilitated and made an impact on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-6 Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 48.4/33.3/75.0 in 29 games. He figures to be a Day-1 starter in the NBA. It's simply a matter of whether teams view him as a point guard or more of a combo guard/off-guard. While former Duke forward and 2024-25 Men's College Basketball Player of the Year Cooper Flagg figures to be selected first overall in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Harper will likely be right behind. That said, here are the top three NBA fits for Harper, among the teams selecting in the top six. 3. Utah Jazz (Pick No. 5) The Jazz have had budding young players for some time, but only so many definitive franchise building blocks. Harper would be a player whom the franchise can label as a pillar and who would form a deadly, long-term backcourt with Keyonte George. Two years ago, Utah appeared to have a franchise player in Lauri Markkanen, who was coming off a breakout season that saw him earn an All-Star nod. However, Markkanen's scoring has dropped in each of the past two seasons (25.6 points per game in 2022-23 to 23.2 points in 2023-24 to 19.0 points in 2024-25), and the Jazz were 21st in the NBA in scoring (111.9 PPG) and tied for 22nd in field goal percentage (45.4%) this season. They need offensive voltage, which Harper would provide. A backcourt pairing of George and Harper would be one of two quick, blossoming guards who can score in a variety of ways and become the heart of head coach Will Hardy's offense. In the wake of that development, defensive attention comes off Markkanen, who has been asked to carry the offensive load for three seasons. The Jazz have a guard glut with Collin Sexton and Isaiah Collier, among others, in place, but a team that just posted the worst record in the sport can't turn down the chance to add high-ceiling talent; they can draft or trade up to select Harper (Utah has picks No. 5 and 21 in the first round this year) and then make a trade with their guard depth to bolster the frontcourt. What likely stops Harper from landing in Salt Lake City, though, is him potentially being off the board before pick No. 5 (yes, Utah slipped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the NBA Draft Lottery), and the Jazz potentially feeling that drafting based on need — if value is equal — is the more plausible route, anyway. 2. Washington Wizards (Pick No. 6) Alex Sarr is a tremendous talent who can fly up and down the floor, hit the boards and deny shots like nobody's business, but the Wizards still don't have a franchise centerpiece. Harper could become that player for Washington. The Wizards were 27th in the NBA in scoring (108.0 PPG), 28th in field goal percentage (43.9%) and 29th in 3-point shooting percentage (33.5%) this season, and that came with trading Kyle Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks in February. In other words, offense is desperately needed here. Harper would have the ball in his hands a great deal, likely running head coach Brian Keefe's offense, and could play to his strengths, as he'd potentially be their No. 2 scorer behind Jordan Poole — who could easily be traded within the next eight months — from the outset. With Harper and Poole in the backcourt, Sarr becoming a more impactful interior offensive player and the continually improving Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert present, the Wizards begin to have a legitimate core to build through. Having a multidimensional offensive player in Harper makes the difference. Washington would likely have to trade up from pick No. 6 to draft Harper, but it could include one of its younger guards (Bub Carrington?) and a future first-rounder in a deal to secure the Rutgers standout. The Wizards are a sweet landing spot for Harper to tap into his star potential. There's just a team that makes a little more sense for him. 1. Charlotte Hornets (Pick No. 4) The Hornets are in a rut, but they're in that spot with compelling young players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Harper may be the perfect fit in-between Ball and Miller and help Charlotte finally make a jump. Ball will continue to be the centerpiece of Charlotte's offense, but having another player who can handle the rock and be a facilitator would do wonders, as Ball can get too 3-happy. On that note, Harper could be the team's point guard if and when Ball, who has been limited to 35 games per season over the past three years due to continual ankle and wrist injuries, misses time. Having Ball and Miller — whose 2024-25 campaign ended after 27 games due to a wrist injury — healthy is of the essence, as the team's top two scorers' absence this season led to Charlotte finishing last in the NBA in scoring (105.1 PPG) and field goal percentage (43%). Their returns — or at least more availability from the two homegrown players — with Miles Bridges, who has averaged 20.5 PPG over his last three seasons, and Harper by their side, would give the Hornets a compelling starting five on the offensive end. On the Harper front, the soon-to-be rookie wouldn't be asked to come in and play hero. He can ease into the mix and not be tasked with becoming the team's offensive focal point. Harper, 19, has the talent to be at least the No. 2 scorer on a contending team, but after just one year of college ball, it's likely best for the Rutgers star to develop in a tertiary offensive role to start his career. Charlotte, which has won no more than 30 games in each of the past three seasons, needs another building block for it to complement their foundation. Harper fits the bill. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Basketball Association Rutgers Scarlet Knights College Basketball recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
31 minutes ago
The final act of the NBA Finals: 2 teams, 1 game, 1 trophy. Pacers at Thunder will decide a champion
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It started with 30 teams, most of them fairly optimistic about their chances when the season began eight months and 1,320 games and 35,543 3-pointers and 299,608 points ago. Only two teams remain. For one game. Game 7. The NBA season ends Sunday night when the Indiana Pacers visit the Oklahoma City Thunder to decide which team will hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, take over for the Boston Celtics as champions and become the league's seventh different title winner in the last seven years. It's the first winner-take-all game in the NBA since 2016, when Cleveland beat Golden State. 'I'm very much looking forward to Game 7,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'The last time we've had one of these in the finals, I think, was '16. These are special moments certainly for both teams but for our league, for the game, for the worldwide interest in the game. It's a time to celebrate.' Yes, but only one team will celebrate Sunday night. For the Pacers, it would be a first NBA title and the capper to a season that started with Indiana banged up and getting off to a 10-15 record through the first 25 games. No team has ever been below .500 that deep into a season and went on to win a championship. For the Thunder, it would be a first NBA title — kind of, sort of, Seattle won one in 1979 and even though the franchise moved to Oklahoma City from there, the Thunder don't recognize it as one of their own — and wrap up a season in which the team scored more points than any other club in NBA history and posted the best record. 'We have to understand the work is done and we have to trust the work,' Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday, the final practice day of the season. 'The muscle is built. We have to flex that muscle. That's what tomorrow will come down to for us.' It has been the epitome of a back-and-forth series, with both teams having the lead at some point. Indiana led 1-0 and 2-1; Oklahoma City led 3-2 but got blown out in Game 6, its first chance at winning the title. So, here we are, tied at 3-3, one game away from a decision. 'Grateful for the opportunity,' Thunder guard Jalen Williams said. 'That's one thing I can say is throughout the whole entire thing, you always have to remain grateful for where you are because there's a lot of NBA players that will trade their spot with me right now. That's how I look at it. But as far as history, I want to be on the good side of that, for sure.' Oklahoma City has looked every bit the part of a championship contender all year; going 68-14 in the regular season cemented the Thunder into the favorite's role. Being the best team in the regular season is for this very privilege, to play host for Game 7. The Pacers peaked at the right time and took the more circuitous route here. But they've already started this series with a win in Oklahoma City. They see no reason why it can't end the same way. 'I think we just have done a great job of just staying together," Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. "There's not a group of guys I'd rather go to war with. I'm really excited to compete with these guys in a Game 7, and it's going to be a lot of fun.' The strained right calf is still an issue for Haliburton, but he played in Game 6 with the injury and — no surprise — he's going to play in Game 7. 'I'm pretty much in the same standpoint I was before Game 6,' Haliburton said. 'A little sore. Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes. I've been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can. But I'll be ready to go for Game 7.' Counting all games this season, Oklahoma City's two lowest-scoring outputs were 81 points against Milwaukee and 91 points against Indiana. The Bucks game was in the NBA Cup final. The Pacers game was Game 6, when OKC had a chance to win the NBA title. So, in the two 'championship' games the Thunder have played this season, they're averaging 86 points. In all other games, they're averaging 119.7 points. 'We obviously have to get better offensively,' Thunder guard and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'Last game, clearly, was not good enough and not going to cut it, and we know that. We watch film for those type of things. You have games like that. Now, it sucks to have it at that stage obviously, but we know we have to be better, for sure.'
San Francisco Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Thunder play hard and play with physicality. But they won't lose by technical knockout
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The worst display of bad behavior, at least in the NBA's eyes, exhibited by Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season happened on Jan. 12. Thunder teammate Alex Ducas made a 3-pointer with 2:55 left in a blowout win over Washington — the first points of his NBA career, a shot that happened right in front of the Oklahoma City bench. Gilgeous-Alexander jumped out of his seat in celebration and waved a towel. Problem was, the towel appeared to make contact with Washington's Jared Butler. That less-than-egregious crime was the only technical foul called on Gilgeous-Alexander this season — and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday that it wound up being rescinded, too. For a team that embraces physicality on defense, scores a ton of points on offense and isn't afraid to commit fouls — it is averaging 20.2 per game this season when including the playoffs, the fifth-highest rate in the NBA going into Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night — the Thunder simply do not cross the line. By the NBA's count, they have 18 technical fouls in the regular season and playoffs; that goes to 21 when adding in the NBA Cup championship game, which is considered an exhibition and doesn't go into the stats. 'First of all, I respect the officials. I think our team respects the officials,' Daigneault said. 'We understand that it's an imperfect job. It's not going to be perfect. They are trying to get it right. We really just try to focus on what we can control, not because of anything other than that's the best pathway to play your best and it's the best pathway to win. We have hopefully a culture of focusing on what we can control and blocking everything else out.' Gilgeous-Alexander almost didn't know how to react when he got the technical foul in Washington. In the first three years of his career, he got zero technicals. He had one in Year 4; it was eventually rescinded. By Gilgeous-Alexander's standards, he's been on a wave of misbehavior in the three years since. Gilgeous-Alexander has been hit with five technical fouls in the last three years — two in the 2022-23 regular season, two in last season's playoffs and then the towel wave that went awry this season. Over the last seven seasons, only Harrison Barnes and Jrue Holiday have played more minutes than Gilgeous-Alexander with fewer technicals. 'I was hotheaded as a kid,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'As I've grown, I've just understood that getting too high or getting too low, especially in competition, doesn't really help me, for sure. So, I try to be as even-keeled as possible.' 'The way I see it, techs is points. I don't ever want to give a team points because I can't control my emotions,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'So, I control them. It's that simple to me.' ___
