“Celtics Secure Jrue Holiday with 4-Year, $135 Million Contract Extension, Sources Say”

A four-year, $135 million deal agreement between the Boston Celtics and player Jrue Holiday has been agreed upon, according to league sources on Wednesday. ESPN broke the news of the agreement first.

Holiday was a part of the Portland Trail Blazers’ deal with the Boston Celtics during the previous summer, where he was moved in exchange for two first-round selections, Malcolm Brogdon, and Robert Williams.

Prior to that, Holiday was acquired by the Blazers in a three-team trade that resulted in the Milwaukee Bucks receiving Damian Lillard.

Holiday, 33, is a three-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team and a two-time NBA All-Star. With the Bucks, he took home an NBA title in 2021. Holiday is averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game in the 2023–24 campaign.

What this implies for the Celtics and HolidayOnce more, the Celtics were successful in getting a significant offseason addition to accept a wage reduction on an agreement.

After being traded to Boston in the summer, Kristaps Porziņģis accepted to a two-year, $60 million agreement. Now, Holiday will take a significant discount by declining his $37.4 million player option to begin an extension that will start at roughly $30 million annually.

With a player option remaining in place in case the next TV agreement raises compensation, Holiday will have security into his late 30s.

Holiday took over as the team’s defensive captain as soon as he arrived in Boston, thanks to his adaptability and duty managing the team’s coverages, which have enabled Boston to have the second-best defensive rating in the league.

Even in a smaller role than in his Milwaukee days, he has been among the NBA’s greatest 3-point shooters this season and has been able to cover every offensive function.

With this addon enabled, Derrick White comes into focus. Holiday’s backcourt companion, who has had a huge breakout season, declined to sign an extension before to this one.

White is owed a significant boost when he can enter the market in 2025 at the age of 30, as he will only be making $18.8 million when he reaches the last year of his contract next season.

With Jayson Tatum probably agreeing to a supermax extension this offseason and Jaylen Brown’s supermax coming into play, the salary cap’s second apron will make it harder to find money to pay White.

But Boston can keep its depth in the immediate future as it goes all-in for a title because Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have cheap deals. — Staff writer for the Celtics Jared Weiss