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Boston Celtics Jrue Holiday trade made official with one key tweak

Boston Celtics Jrue Holiday trade made official with one key tweak

USA Today07-07-2025
Jrue Holiday's trade to the Portland Trail Blazers has now been made official. The Boston Celtics previously struck the deal to help with their current salary cap issues, while Anfernee Simons joins Joe Mazzulla's roster as part of the deal. However, there has been a slight alteration to the overall trade package. Originally, it was reported that Portland was including multiple second-round picks alongside Simons to sweeten the deal.
According to Trail Blazers reporter Sean Highkin, those picks have not been included in the official trade. Instead, Boston swaps Holiday for the offensively gifted Simons in a straight player-for-player swap. Neither team is parting with any draft capital, and instead, the Celtics get a high-ceiling young talent on a tradable contract along with some much-needed salary cap relief.
"The Anfernee Simons-Jrue Holiday trade is now official, without the previously reported second-round picks going from Portland to Boston. The final deal is a straight 1-for-1 player swap," Highkin reported via BlueSky.
Holiday was a key pickup for the Celtics in 2023. He immediately made an impact as he helped Boston secure a championship during his first season with the franchise. Now, as the Celtics begin a re-tooling period, Holiday will embrace being an elder statesman on a Trail Blazers team looking to build an identity as a stern defensive roster.
Brad Stevens has also parted with Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet this summer, while Al Horford's future also remains in question. Those deals have also become official over the past 24 hours.
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