The Boston Celtics are making a hard push for Banner 18 during the 2023-24 NBA season, and we got more evidence of that effort Sunday.
The Celtics reportedly acquired point guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for point guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams III, the Golden State Warriors' 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) and their own 2029 first-rounder unprotected.
The C's paid a steep price to get Holiday, but it's worth it.
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Holiday is one of the league's top perimeter defenders who plays with tenacity and brings championship experience. He's also a quality offensive player who averaged 19.3 points per game and shot 38.4 percent from 3-point range last season. He's a true point guard who sets the tone on both ends of the floor.
Here's an updated view of the Celtics' depth chart after adding Holiday and trading away Brogdon and Williams.
- Guards: Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, Dalano Banton
- Wings: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Lamar Stevens, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, Oshae Brissett
- Bigs: Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet
- Two-way & training camp deals: JD Davidson, Jay Scrubb, Neemias Queta, Wenyen Gabriel
In one offseason, the Celtics have added two excellent starters in Holiday and Porzingis. The cost to acquire these players was Brogdon, Williams and Marcus Smart, plus a bunch of draft picks. Grant Williams also left via a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics have several starting five combinations to use, but the one that makes the most sense is Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum and Porzingis. Head coach Joe Mazzulla could also use White in a sixth man role and start Horford with Porzingis against certain opponents for more size and rebounding.
The obvious weakness for the Celtics right now is in in the frontcourt. There's not a ton of proven depth or talent behind Porzingis and Horford. That's not the most ideal situation when you consider Porzingis' injury history and Horford's age (37). The C's still have a $6.3 million trade exception from the Grant Williams sign-and-trade that they could use to acquire another power forward or center at some point.
Aside from a lack of frontcourt depth, this roster is without a doubt championship caliber.