The last thing Brad Stevens expected to be doing on media day was answering questions about acquiring Jrue Holiday, but that's how the NBA goes sometimes.
“As time went on, I think we all became a little bit more inquisitive, or wondering if Portland was going to end up getting somebody that they would then move on from as a result of moving (Damian Lillard),” Stevens said. “And so we were monitoring it like the rest of the league.”
When the Lillard trade went down, the Celtics knew they had to act quickly to get Holiday.
“To be candid, we knew kind of the numbers that had the match, so you had had a list of guys that might be in those type of deals that you might be interested in, so you have to stay flexible and ready and all that,” Steven said, later adding “there’s a list of guys in the league that you always think you’ll never have a real chance to get that you think are perfect fits and that you’d love to be a Celtic. And Jrue is one of those guys.”
The numbers that matched belonged to Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams. Having to move a young center, injury history aside, who has had a considerable impact on winning games is no small price to pay. There was no public consensus on trading for Holiday mostly because people knew Williams was likely one of the chips that needed to be moved.
“Gotta pay a good price for things, right? That's the way it goes,” Stevens said. “We're trying to win a championship, trying to be as good as we can be. We certainly did, and, two picks and two good players, and that is a real price. But that's how good we think Jrue is.”
That doesn’t make the sting of the trade hurt any less for the guys who are still in Boston. On days like this, there is the pain of losing someone who has become a close friend, and the acceptance of professional sports as a business that requires moves like this be made. No team ever truly runs it back.
“Rob is somebody that since his rookie year I’ve seen him grow. So grateful to have been able to play with him,” Al Horford said. “He’s such a great teammate, about the right things, trying to play the right way, super unselfish and he’s somebody that I just really enjoy playing with. It was a lot of fun and he’s a great guy. I just obviously wish him nothing but the best moving forward. He is professional. I know it’s hard for him but I know that he’ll be fine.
Holiday walks in the door as one of Boston’s top six players, a group many believe is the best in the NBA.
“This isn't about like he has to come here and be anything other than who he is, and make us better on both ends of the floor and then also complement everybody else,” Joe Mazzulla said. “And that's kind of the theme of the season for us is like, do we have the ability to bring the best out of each other to play team basketball? And at the same time, understand that we're all going to have to sacrifice, we're all going to have to give up small bits and pieces of ourselves to get to where we want to get to.”
But who Holiday is is actually something more than most other players. As close as Boston has gotten in recent years, Holiday is a player with championship experience who is expected to be an impact player. It’s been a few years since Boston has had that, and that recent experience is something the Celtics are hoping will shine through.
“I think it's very important, we certainly can learn a lot from Jrue, being on a team that won a championship and they had to face a lot of adversity,” Jayson Tatum said. “I remember Giannis got hurt in the playoffs and they were down 0-2 in the Finals and came back and won. There is a lot we can learn from Jrue. On the court, the stuff they had to overcome and off the court. I'm looking forward to having him on this team, what he brings as a player and as a person.”
Holiday was one of the first people in the building, but he didn’t speak to the media or participate in anything on the court because the final steps of the trade, like the team physical, still have to be completed. From here, the Celtics will sit back and evaluate what holes still need to be filled in the roster. But if there's any consistent feeling from the Auerbach Center on media day, it’s that the business of the NBA is tough, and it’s sad to see guys leave, but who they got in return is exciting to the guys still here.
“He's eager,” Stevens said. “Just getting a chance to spend a few minutes on the phone with him last night and then a few minutes with him today, he's a really impressive person, so we're glad he's here.”