Jrue Holiday Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Chris Paul Possibilities For Mavericks

May 26th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks will explore a potential trade with the Celtics for Jrue Holiday as they look for someone to take over ball-handling duties while Kyrie Irving is injured, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Stein admits that a deal for Holiday would be tricky given Dallas’ financial position and the fact that he has three years and $104MM left on his contract. Holiday is among the players Boston is reportedly considering moving to reduce next season’s payroll, so the Celtics won’t be looking to take back big contracts in return. A third or fourth team may have to get involved to make a trade feasible.

Irving suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on March 3. A report last month suggested that he might be able to return by January, but Dallas will need someone to serve as the lead guard until he fully recovers from surgery.

Stein cites Bulls guard Lonzo Ball as “a more reasonable trade target” for the Mavs. Ball signed a two-year, $20MM extension in February that includes a team option for the second season. It would be much easier for Dallas to fit Ball’s contract into its current salary structure, and he’s coming off a relatively healthy season after missing two and a half years with severe knee issues. At 27, Ball is seven years younger than Holiday and could turn into a better long-term investment.

League sources tell Stein that Chris Paul is another player to watch for the Mavericks. Even though he turned 40 earlier this month, Paul was able to appear in all 82 games with the Spurs and produced another productive season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes per night with .427/.377/.924 shooting splits.

Stein states that the year Paul spent tutoring Victor Wembanyama and his other young teammates was considered successful, but there’s “anticipation” that he might be changing teams again this summer. San Antonio traded for De’Aaron Fox in February and is expected to add Dylan Harper with the second pick in next month’s draft. With Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle also in the backcourt mix, there may not be enough minutes for Paul.

Stein expects plenty of interest around the league in Paul if he decides to move on.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Stevens, Porzingis, Holiday

May 24th, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell is optimistic that Jayson Tatum will reclaim his place as one of the NBA’s best players whenever he fully recovers from Achilles surgery, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Appearing on Patrick Beverley‘s podcast, Cassell said he plans to help Tatum learn how to view the game from a coach’s perspective while he’s rehabbing the injury.

“It’s good, man,” Cassell said. “When he comes back, he can be even better. He can observe the game of basketball and work on everything he needs to work on. I’m looking forward to the journey with him. Top-five first-team All-(NBA) this year. When he comes back, he’ll be first-team All-(NBA) again. He’s that good.”

Tatum was one of four players to be unanimously selected for first-team All-NBA honors this week, earning the designation for the fourth straight season. No timetable has been set for him to resume playing, but Terada states that the Celtics are confident about his prognosis because he had surgery the morning after tearing his Achilles in Game 4 of their second-round series and he was fortunate to be in New York, which offered greater access to world-class surgeons.

Tatum’s injury derailed any hopes that Boston had of rallying to win the series and it may cause the team to take a step back from contending next season. However, Cassell is confident in the long-term future.

“When you got a great group of guys who understood the situation we were in,” he said, “It’s like, ‘Guys, we’re down 3-1, OK. We’re going to get another lead, so let’s just take advantage of the lead.’ Because we had leads every game. Basketball gods are just not happy sometimes. We’ll grow from this. As a staff, we’ll grow from this as a team. We’re the Boston Celtics, baby.”

There’s more from Boston:

The press conference held Monday by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens showed that he has a plan to remake the roster and trim salary this summer, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Stevens indicated that he’s willing to use the team’s draft picks at No. 28 and 32 to help get rid of at least the roughly $20MM that will be necessary to get the Celtics below the second apron. Washburn doesn’t expect Stevens to part with Jaylen Brown or Derrick White, but he states that Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday will likely be made available, while Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh and JD Davison may also be deemed expendable.
In a mailbag column, Brian Robb of MassLive questions how easy it will be to find teams willing to take on Porzingis and Holiday. Robb points out that Holiday is already 35 and will making $37.2MM in 2027/28, while Porzingis’ recent health issues will likely limit his market.
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe continues his offseason series rating the team’s various units, this time focusing on the starting lineup. He notes that injuries to Tatum and Brown, along with Porzingis’ illness and Holiday’s signs of aging leave the group in much worse shape than it appeared to be when the season began.

Eastern Notes: Banchero, Magic, Pistons, Bulls, J. Holiday

May 22nd, 2025 at 11:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Paolo Banchero, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, is optimistic the Magic can capitalize on the NBA’s parity, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. After Boston was eliminated in the second round, the league will crown its seventh champion in as many years, the first time that has ever occurred.

“You don’t know how excited I am just seeing all of these new teams in the conference finals,” Banchero said. “Definitely going to have a new champion this year and so, it just excites you because that could be us.

“Obviously it’s not going to be easy and it takes a lot of things to go right, but seeing all of these teams get there, all these young players lead their teams … It definitely gets me excited.”

Here’s more from the East:

Orlando isn’t the only Eastern Conference team optimistic about its future. The Pistons also believe they can become a contender sooner rather than later after a remarkable turnaround in 2024/25, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Detroit won a league-worst 14 games in ’23/24, but made the playoffs outright as the No. 6 seed after winning 44 games this season. The Pistons also had a highly competitive first-round series with New York, which is now in the conference final.
Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Bulls‘ offseason. While Josh Giddey‘s restricted free agency is perhaps the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed, Chicago also has several players eligible for veteran extensions. Smith views Ayo Dosunmu as the most likely to ink a new deal of the extension-eligible players.
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has come up multiple times in recent trade rumors, though one report stated Boston might have a difficult time moving him due to the $104MM he’s owed over the next three years. With that in mind, Brian Robb of MassLive explores seven hypothetical Holiday trades. According to Robb, the Mavericks could be a good fit if they like Holiday. His fake proposal has Holiday and unspecified draft capital heading to Dallas for Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

Fischer’s Latest: Sixers’ Draft Plans, George, Spurs, Durant, Holiday

May 21st, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers will listen to offers for the No. 3 pick in next month’s draft, but they aren’t expected to part with it unless they get another high selection in return, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

There has been speculation that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey might be interested in moving the pick in exchange for a veteran who could offer immediate help to a team that’s coming off a 24-58 season. However, Fischer states that the front office recognizes the value of having young players on rookie-scale contracts in the apron era.

Jared McCain, last year’s first-round pick, got off to a strong start before tearing his meniscus in December and undergoing season-ending surgery. Morey is counting on McCain to return and form a solid young core with Tyrese Maxey and this year’s pick that will fit well alongside Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Fischer indicates that rival teams with interest in trading for the No. 3 pick are split over whether Rutgers forward Ace Bailey or Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe is the better selection. He adds that Texas guard Tre Johnson may also be in that mix.

Fischer shares more inside information from around the NBA:

The Sixers aren’t trying to get rid of George, and Fischer calls recent reports that they might package the No. 3 pick to unload his contract a “misread” of the situation. Fischer states that the team understands George’s value is at a low point coming off an injury-plagued season, and teams will be wary of taking his contract, which has three years and $162.4MM remaining. Fischer adds that Philadelphia is unlikely to pursue a George trade unless he requests it.
“Numerous rival teams” have told Fischer that they expect the Spurs to hold onto the No. 2 selection and draft Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, even though he’s not a perfect fit with De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.
The Suns haven’t started trade discussions involving Kevin Durant, and Fischer cautions that it’s not a sure thing he’ll be moved this summer. New general manager Brian Gregory has been focused on finding a head coach, trimming the list of candidates down to nine over the weekend. Fischer reports that Phoenix will be in the market for a starting-level center during the offseason.
Jrue Holiday has been a popular name in trade rumors, but Fischer hears that the Celtics may not have an easy time moving him. Multiple rival executives have told Fischer that Boston will have to include a sweetener, likely in the form of draft picks, to get anyone to take on the $104MM that the 34-year-old Holiday is owed over the next three years.

Atlantic Notes: Towns, Knicks, Holiday, Porzingis, Sixers

May 19th, 2025 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Pacers fits this season and the Knicks hope that continues over the next two weeks. He averaged 30.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 46.7 percent from three-point range in 36.5 minutes per contest vs. Indiana, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes, with the Knicks winning two of three regular-season matchups between the Eastern Conference finalists.

Towns will likely be matched up against Myles Turner, who averaged 19.5 points and 2.5 blocks per game against New York this season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks have been named the 2024-25 NBATA Athletic Training Staff of the Year, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. New York’s training staff is led by Casey Smith, VP of Sports Medicine. The staff also includes senior athletic trainer Heather Mau. Smith and Mau are former members of the Mavs’ training staff, Curtis notes. Smith was fired in 2023 by Dallas GM Nico Harrison.
All the extensions that the Celtics handed out last offseason could prove detrimental unless the front office can find a good trade offer for Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis, Brian Robb of MassLive.com opines. Holiday still has value but his production tailed off this season and he’s owed $104MM over the next three years. Porzingis has an expiring contract but has contributed little in the last two postseason due to injury and illness. A more dramatic reset for the franchise could be required if shedding these big-money contracts ends up costing Boston valuable assets, Robb concludes.
While there has been some speculation that the Sixers will shop the No. 3 overall pick, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports hears an entirely different story. A source told him that the front office isn’t interested in packaging that pick to acquire a veteran star (Twitter link). The team has spoken publicly about wanting to add more youth and athleticism to its core, Neubeck notes, and the No. 3 pick will provide an opportunity to do just that.

Stein’s Latest: Holiday, White, Porzingis, Williamson, Mavs, Dumont

May 18th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The early speculation regarding the Celtics’ offseason is that Jrue Holiday is more likely to be moved than backcourt partner Derrick White, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

Holiday has three years remaining on a four-year, $134MM contract, which includes a $37.2MM player option in the final year of the deal. White’s four-year, $118MM extension, which kicks in next season, includes a $34.8MM player option for 2028/29.

Kristaps Porziņgis‘ $30.7MM expiring contract is viewed by outside executives as the most movable on Boston’s roster, according to Stein. However, Porzingis’ mysterious illness, which lingered during the final month of the regular season through the playoffs, may give potential suitors pause.

It should be noted that the need to make some roster adjustments was anticipated before Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles tendon injury, which will likely sideline him though next season. The Celtics’ brass is confronted by luxury tax concerns and tax apron constraints.

Here’s more from Stein:

League sources tell Stein that Zion Williamson‘s presence at the draft lottery was indeed a signal from the Pelicans’ new front office that they’ll continue to make him the team’s centerpiece, rather than looking to deal him. Williamson represented New Orleans at the lottery, though he didn’t bring good luck — the club slid to the No. 7 pick.
While the Mavericks haven’t been overt about it, they have no plans to field trade offers for the No. 1 overall pick. “Not even for Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” a source briefed on the team’s thinking told Stein. The team’s ownership and front office realize they must rebuild trust with their fan base by drafting Cooper Flagg as the new face of the franchise. The Mavericks are expected to soon secure their first in-person meeting with Flagg.
New majority owner Patrick Dumont, who is based in Las Vegas, has visited Dallas multiple times since the Mavericks’ season ended in early April. That has reinforced the notion that Dumont remains in general manager Nico Harrison’s corner as the franchise’s top decision-maker, says Stein.

Celtics Notes: Kornet, Holiday, Brown, White

May 18th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Celtics looking for ways to cut costs this offseason, it’s possible that re-signing Luke Kornet will be a luxury they can’t afford. The 29-year-old backup center wasn’t ready to address his future at Saturday’s exit interviews, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.

“Regarding going forward it’s like, I’ll figure out stuff when it kind of comes to it,” Kornet said. “At this point, you’re just kind of trying to unwind and spend some time with family and you don’t even know what everything is gonna look like because you just got done playing. That’s kind of what it is for now.”

Kornet, who has been with the team since being acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, turned out to be a bargain on the one-year, minimum-salary contract he signed last summer. He brought stability to Boston’s frontline, appearing in 73 games and averaging 6.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per night. He helped the Celtics extend their second-round series with a near triple-double in Game 5 and was in the starting lineup for Game 6.

Keeping Kornet could become more important than ever with Al Horford uncertain about returning for another season. Boston owns Kornet’s Bird rights, but second apron restrictions and a huge projected tax bill will likely limit what the team is willing to offer.

“The year, obviously it didn’t ultimately end in what we wanted to do and accomplish,” Kornet added. “It’s like a good deal to look back on well. I mean obviously the day after, that’s a little tough. But I think that it was a little more time to be able to kind of appreciate things for what they were. Obviously we had some good stretches and we ultimately came short, so it’s just kind of the taste in the mouth for the time being.”

There’s more from Boston:

Jrue Holiday has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate because of his hefty salary, but he believes the Celtics can remain title contenders if the core of the team stays together, Terada states in a separate story. Holiday has three seasons left on his four-year, $134.4MM extension, including a $37.2MM player option in 2027/28. “We still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” he said. “I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff all the way up to (president of basketball operations Brad Stevens) has been amazing. So, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
Jaylen Brown, who has been diagnosed with a partially torn meniscus, offered a message of hope to Celtics fans after being eliminated, Terada adds in another piece. Brown expects the team to bounce back quickly, even though Jayson Tatum is sidelined indefinitely after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles. “This journey is not the end; it’s not the end for me,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to coming back stronger, so you just take this with your chin up. I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year. But it’s a lot to look forward to. I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Derrick White appears likely to stay in Boston because he’s delivering good value on his contract, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. White acknowledged that changes are likely coming to the team, adding that his priority will be improving during the summer. “I just gotta focus on what I need to focus on, which is obviously I have a lot of room for improvement,” White said. “So I gotta get better. People are going to do their jobs and my job right now is to get better.”

Celtics Rumors: Holiday, Porzingis, Tatum, Brown, More

May 17th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Rory Maher

Even before Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon, the Celtics were contemplating “significant offseason changes” due to a payroll (including luxury tax) that is projected to surpass $500MM in 2025/26, confirms Jay King of The Athletic. But with Tatum likely to miss most — if not all — of next season, a more “drastic shakeup” could be in the works.

Although Jrue Holiday battled injuries and saw his offensive numbers decline in ’24/25, he’s still expected to draw interest from contending teams if the Celtics make him available on the trade market, league sources tell King. Holiday turns 35 years old next month and is owed $104.4MM through ’27/28, but he’s highly regarded around the league due to his championship pedigree and reputation as a strong defensive player, King writes.

Kristaps Porzingis is another clear trade candidate due to his expiring contract. But don’t expect the Celtics to simply shed his salary in a straightforward salary dump, King adds.

Here are a few more rumors and notes on the 2024 champions:

According to King, Tatum’s heavy workload was an “occasional topic of contention” within the organization prior to the injury. Including the playoffs, Tatum has played more minutes than any player in the league since Boston selected him No. 3 overall in 2017, King notes, and he also won a pair of gold medals with Team USA in 2021 and 2024, so he hasn’t many rest opportunities in recent years. Tatum admitted in March that “a lot of headbutting” occurred prior to games when the team wanted to him rest but he wanted to play.
Prior to the Game 6 elimination, Chris Mannix and Rachel Nichols of Sports Illustrated speculated about what moves the Celtics might make this summer (YouTube link). “The question is what do you do here? Because I think there’s a pretty decent chance that this team gets dismantled in a major way,” Mannix said. Nichols followed up by asking if Jaylen Brown could be on the move. Mannix doesn’t think so, but said, “I think two or more rotation players in the top seven could be gone next year, and they could use next year as a gap year.” Holiday and Porzingis were two more players brought up in the discussion.
It’s clear the Celtics won’t be running things back for a second straight summer, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports, who is “pretty confident” that next year’s roster will feature Tatum, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh. However, Forsberg is less certain about the rest of the roster, including Brown, who is entering the second season of his five-year, super-max contract. Sharpshooter Sam Hauser is another trade candidate if the team is unable to cut costs elsewhere, Forsberg writes.
In his Celtics offseason preview for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks lays out some of the options Boston could consider this summer, noting that the punitive restrictions of the second tax apron will likely be the main reason the team decides to make changes. Marks also released a video version of his offseason guide via YouTube.

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown On Loss To Knicks: ‘Feels Like Death’

May 17th, 2025 at 8:21am CST by Rory Maher

The defending champion Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs on Friday, having been blown out by the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

“Finishing in May feels weird, it’s definitely not something we were prepared for,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who fouled out before the end of the third quarter after scoring 20 points but with seven turnovers. “Things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate.

“But we hold our head up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey.”

Boston had an unexpectedly poor start to the second-round series, losing the first two games at home after holding 20-point second-half leads in each contest. Things went from bad to worse in Game 4, when the Celtics blew another double-digit second-half lead and perennial All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum sustained a torn Achilles tendon.

While the Celtics had their chances, especially early on in the series, they were thoroughly outplayed in Game 6. Head coach Joe Mazzulla made sure to credit the Knicks for their dominant performance, Windhorst notes.

“We ran into a great team. You have to tip your hat off to the Knicks,” Mazzulla said. “They outplayed us. They played better.”

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes, the Celtics now face a summer of uncertainty due to Tatum’s injury, their extremely expensive roster, and the restrictions of the NBA’s tax aprons.

Center Kristaps Porzingis, who battled “extreme fatigue” — one of the lingering effects of a mysterious February illness that was never identified — throughout the playoffs, could be on the trading block this offseason, according to Himmselbach. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday could be in the same boat.

Himmelsbach also suggests that big man Al Horford could opt to retire. Windhorst recently reported the impending free agent hopes to re-sign with the Celtics, but that was before Tatum’s injury. Horford will turn 39 years old in early June.

But the team wasn’t thinking about the future in the immediate aftermath of the loss.

“It sucks,” guard Derrick White said. “You’ll never get this season back. You’re never going to have the exact same team again.”

New York, which entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the East, will now face No. 4 Indiana in the team’s first conference final appearance in 25 years.

Latest On Jayson Tatum

May 15th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Jayson Tatum‘s injury will have a ripple effect on the rest of the league and it will send a seismic wave down the Celtics organization, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. While Achilles injuries aren’t entirely uncommon in the NBA, it’s not typical that a player of Tatum’s caliber suffers an injury this catastrophic at this point in the league’s calendar year.

Unless the Celtics complete the 3-1 comeback against the Knicks, the NBA is looking at its seventh different champion in as many years. Reports were already circulating that Boston was looking to make some changes this offseason as the team continued to get more expensive. Now their superstar is out until likely, at earliest, late into next regular season.

There is somewhat of a precedent to follow in that Kevin Durant tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals, but the Warriors were still able to build around Stephen Curry in his wake.

In a similar article, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explores what paths Boston could explore with Tatum likely sidelined all of next year. Making trades to trim salary and add depth seems likely, but it’s unclear who could be on the block. Jrue Holiday is still a valuable piece for a contender, so he could be an option if Boston opts for that route. While Jaylen Brown would be an appealing trade target for almost every team in the league, the Celtics will need to rely on him to stay competitive next year, Pelton writes.

We have more on Tatum’s injury and the shock wave it sent through the NBA:

Outside of Holiday, the Celtics could also look to move one or both of Derrick White or Kristaps Porzingis, Jay King of The Athletic suggests. Al Horford will also be an unrestricted free agent, as will Luke Kornet, and bringing both back could be challenging given the Celtics’ financial position.
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed Tatum’s injury this week, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). “Jayson has a warrior mentality like the rest of his teammates,” Grousbeck said. “He will work very hard to get back, and in the meantime the Celtics will fight hard for every game.“
Brown and Horford spoke to Celtics players in a meeting prior to Game 5’s big win over the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on a SportsCenter appearance (YouTube link). On Wednesday, the team got a message from Tatum while he was recovering from his surgery. According to Windhorst, Tatum told the team that he would be back and encouraged them to play hard in the wake of his injury.