The Celtics made their first big move of the offseason on Monday night when they traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks.
Trading Holiday was not a surprise for Boston given the steep payroll and luxury tax commitments Boston was facing this summer in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s torn Achilles. However, it was a bit of a surprise to see Holiday’s landing spot coming in Portland, the team that traded him away two years ago and one that still is sitting outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
That surprising destination is apparently not sitting well with Holiday either according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. One source close to the situation tells Bulpett that Holiday is “pissed” he’s going to Portland.
“Now, if he winds up staying there, I’m sure he’ll be the professional he’s always been and make a positive contribution,” said the source. “But he’s not happy with this deal. I’ll be surprised if Portland doesn’t move him on if they can, because right now he does not want to go there.
“I’m sure if he has to go to Portland, he’ll end up going and it’ll be OK, but right now they want to be somewhere else. But with that contract, it’s not going to be that easy.”
The Celtics signed Holiday to a four-year extension last April that will last through the 2027-28 season. Holiday had settled in a Boston suburb with his family over the past two years since the Celtics acquired him from the Blazers in September 2023. Holiday is originally from the Los Angeles area and still has a home in that area.
