Social media goes wild after Celtics trade for Jrue Holiday as East battle heats up originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NBA never sleeps.
With training camp and preseason games on the horizon, teams continue to reshape their rosters.
Jrue Holiday, for the second time in just a few days, is on the move — this time from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Boston Celtics. This comes after he was traded in a deal involving Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The package returning to Portland includes Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks, according to reports.
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, went wild on Sunday after the trade. Many people immediately looked at the big picture, analyzing how the Celtics stack up with the Bucks after both teams added new point guards:
The Bucks became the East favorites over the Celtics by acquiring Dame. But Boston takes back that lead with this Jrue Holiday acquisition.
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 1, 2023
Celtics giving up the 2 firsts plus Rob Williams here for Holiday is quite the all-in push. If ownership is willing to spend to retain Jrue Holiday, it could be a home run move as long as front office can find sufficient help for frontcourt.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) October 1, 2023
Celtics just became the NBA title favorites with the addition of Jrue Holiday.
Malcolm Brogdon didn’t want to be in Boston, and Robert Williams was unreliable.
Holiday is 33 and is still one of the better all-around point guards in the league.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 1, 2023
Other users were quick to point out the rivalry that has now formed between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Holiday spoke about his affection for Milwaukee just days before he was shipped out of town. Now, he’ll be suiting up for Lillard and the Bucks’ stiffest competition.
Dame is better than Jrue but Jrue ending up a Celtic was the worst possible outcome for the Bucks
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) October 1, 2023
One player weighed in, too, perhaps in a sarcastic tone. With the Philadelphia 76ers unable to acquire Holiday or Lillard — and uncertainty surrounding James Harden — reigning MVP Joel Embiid shared his thoughts on the summer.
And many Celtics supporters were conflicted after seeing another fan favorite sent away in an offseason trade. First it was Marcus Smart, and now it’s Williams.
At the top of the list, of course, is NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg — a long-time supporter of Robert Williams. Forsberg interviewed Williams just hours before the trade for an episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, which is now live.
At the end of the day Jrue/Porzingis replacing Rob Smart & Brogdon is a win of an off season. Aside from sentimental reasons Celtics fans shouldn’t really be upset
— Mike (@MikeAdxx) October 1, 2023
NBC Sports Boston will be live from Celtics media day on Monday beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.
