Should The Celtics Extend Jrue Holiday?

Should The Celtics Extend Jrue Holiday?

Now that the dust has settled on the Jrue Holiday trade, the Celtics still have one more important matter to attend to. What should Boston do about Holiday’s upcoming contract dilemma? Will the Celtics get Holiday extended sooner rather than later?

If you watched the introductory presser, it seems pretty obvious that Brad Stevens and ownership want to keep Holiday in Boston for a long time. The former UCLA product is technically in the final year of his contract, but does have a player option worth for more than $37 million next year.

“We wanted him here for a long time and when the time comes and we’re allowed to talk about those types of things,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Wednesday during Holiday’s introductory press conference. “This is something that we hope can be a longtime relationship, obviously beyond these years of the contract. We still have a few months to go before we can get too deep into that stuff.”

Good news if you’re a Celtics fan. It doesn’t sound like you should be fearful of losing Holiday as a free agent.

Jrue Holiday said the #Celtics have already communicated to him they'd like to discuss a contract extension and want this to be a long-term commitment.

— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) October 4, 2023

Brad Stevens: Jrue Holiday ‘perfect fit’ for Celtics

It sounds like it’s more of a matter of how much it’s going to cost the team. If you remember, the Celtics got Kristaps Porzingis extended pretty quickly after the trade was made. Porzingis also took a haircut on what he could have been eligible to make. Maybe Holiday is willing to do the same. Every discount the Celtics get is only going to help on the luxury tax bill.

Holiday has made his money too and clearly prioritized winning coming to Boston. He’s also 33 and may be willing to take a discount to make sure this team stays intact. It’s something to monitor as we get closer to the season.

Also… can the Celtics get that Derrick White contract done too, please?

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out the Vendetta Shop

Click here for more NBA content