The Boston Celtics made their first major move of the offseason last month when they traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, but the return for the veteran guard wound up being a lot lighter than they anticipated.
On June 23, the Celtics agreed to send Holiday to Portland in exchange for combo guard Anfernee Simons and two second-round draft picks. The trade was made official on Monday, but the two second-round picks were removed from the deal.
According to a report from Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, the Trail Blazers uncovered issues in Holiday’s medical history and proposed that the deal be altered. The Celtics agreed.
Holiday is said to be healthy and the issues were not viewed as serious enough to warrant the trade being nixed altogether.
The Portland Trail Blazers trade with the Boston Celtics has been reduced to a straight player swap without the previously reported two second-round picks going to the Celtics, a league source has told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) July 7, 2025
According to the source, a recent review of… pic.twitter.com/P5KzBABg1h
Boston’s real motivation behind trading Holiday was money, which is why they agreed to the updated terms. Holiday is owed $102 million over the next three seasons, and the Celtics have been finding ways to shed salary in order to avoid the dreaded second apron.
Holiday played a huge role for the Celtics and was a key contributor on their 2024 NBA title team. The six-time All-Defensive selection is the type of player who can make a difference for a contender, but the Blazers went 36-46 and are trying to rebuild.
One recent report raised questions about whether Holiday will be in Portland very long. The Blazers are likely pleased that they had to give up less for the 35-year-old than they initially agreed to.
