Jrue Holiday is very much enjoying his time with the Boston Celtics, so much so that the veteran point guard would like to remain with the historic NBA franchise past his current contract.
“I’d like to be here,” Holiday recently told Brian Robb of MassLive. “I feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable, loving the guys, loving the organization and loving the city.”
Holiday's contract has a player option for the 2024-25 season. He can decline that option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Celtics and Holiday, per league rules, aren't eligible to agree on an extension until six months after the trade that brought him to Boston, so the earliest it could happen is April.
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“My last extension was during the course of the year,” Holiday told Robb. “I think that we can do both, talk about it and as well as prepare for games and prepare for what the future is.”
Keeping Holiday makes a lot of sense based on the value he brings to the team. He's an excellent two-way guard and provides much-needed leadership and championship experience.
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The only concern is how the Celtics will be able to pay Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown max contracts, along with a high salary for Kristaps Porzingis and Holiday. Derrick White, who has proven to be an awesome fit since arriving in Boston during the 2021-22 season, has one more year left on his contract and is able to become a free agent in the summer of 2025. Keeping everyone might be tough given the constraints of the new collective bargaining agreement.
What kind of extension could Holiday sign with the Celtics? A max contract wouldn't be feasible for the Celtics considering the cost of their roster. If Holiday takes a little less than he might get on the open market, it would help the Celtics continue to put together a loaded squad.
"So he's got a $37 million player option for next season. And essentially, if he turns that down, he'd be looking for a longer term extension," Chris Forsberg said Saturday on Celtics Pregame Live. "Give him some security, give up maybe some money next year in order to maximize the years further out. And we've seen guys do this, like Al Horford signing budget deals to allow you the flexibility to carry an expensive roster, but knowing that he'll be part of a championship organization, and so it'll come down to a balance.
"I think Jrue is motivated. If he feels like this is a good situation, if this core is going to be here, he'll be OK with giving up some money next season. So you gotta structure it right, like he's not gonna give up that much money, that's still a lot of money. And so I wonder what the number is, and yet if they went to him and said three years -- I'm gonna have to do the quick math in my head -- $35 million, $33 million, $32 million (per year), it's still gonna be big money. There's still a lot of money over the next few years.
"But I think he's OK with it. And a descending deal gives you some flexibility moving forward, as long as he is sure this is a championship-level organization that gives him the best chance to win another title and ride out the final years of his career with the ability to compete. And that's what it comes down to. Like, what matters to guys at this age? We've seen it for Al, it's all about winning. For Jrue, I think the same thing."
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Holiday is averaging 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, while shooting a career-high 42.5 percent from 3-point range.
It took him a little while to find his footing, which was understandable considering he came to a new team where he's the third, fourth or fifth option most nights. He was the second option in Milwaukee for the last several years. Holiday is averaging 17 points over the last five games.