The Good Times Continue To Roll After The Celtics Decide To Give Jrue Holiday A 4 Year/135 Million Dollar Extension To Stay In Boston
Megan Briggs. Getty Images.BRAD STEVENS FROM THE CLOUDS!!!
When Jrue Holiday became extension eligible on April 1st, I figured that didn't mean much and we would have to worry about the Jrue Holiday decision this summer while also worrying about the Derrick White decision. I figured the focus would be on the playoff run, maybe wanting to see how Holiday looked in his first postseason as a Celtic before making that decision, but the options have been clear since the second Brad first traded for him.
Option 1: Extend Holiday
Option 2: Don't extend Holiday and somehow trade him
That of course would imply that he opt into his player option, but there's also the reality that Holiday could have turned down his $37M and decided to hit the open market. With teams that need a PG loaded with cash, it's not a stretch to imagine there would have been a market.
Little did we know, Brad was working on the extension this whole time. What a guy. If someone wants to suggest that this is an overpay, I won't really argue it. Granted it's a paycut from what Holiday could make next year, but it's still a lot to pay for 4 years of a player about to enter his age 34 season. But given that the Celts are already a 2nd apron team, it's not like they had a choice. It's the same thing we're about to see with Derrick White. Either extend him most likely by overpaying, or you have to trade him. Given the new restrictions, losing an asset for nothing is no longer a way forward. And, given that the owner of the team has been open about paying whatever as long as the team in contending, it's pretty clear which direction the franchise is choosing to go.
That's what stands out most to me. Wyc is backing up what he says publicly, and that's all I could ask for as a fan. Give Brad all the tools he can to win a goddamn title, and that usually comes down to money. Luxury tax? Who cares. Repeat offender penalties? Bring them on. The Celts title window is wide open and with that comes an expensive team. If you aren't interested in that, don't own a team in Boston. Thankfully, Wyc has done nothing but show he's ready to write the checks (as long as this means White's is also coming).
Also, given what the team gave up in order to trade for Holiday, you have to keep that player for more than 1 year. If things change and the Celts one day need a high salary player to pull off a trade, now they have one. Remember, they can't combine contracts anymore being a 2nd apron team. If you want to trade for a high salary player, you need a high salary to match. It can't be 2 or 3 guys moving forward, so a deal like this makes sense in that regard.
Even if we see the very real possibility of regression as he ages, the good news is his role should help with that. He still looks pretty good at age 33, so if you get 2 more years at like 75% of what we're seeing now, I think it's worth it. So far I'd say Holiday's Celtics tenure has been even better than we probably could have imagined
and while his biggest test is on the horizon, it does give everyone peace of mind that his future is taken care of regardless of what happens. He doesn't need to worry about moving his family, he doesn't have to worry about his market or his next deal, all the focus can just be on winning a title. That's what we've had with Holiday since he got here, and it has the team with their best shot since 2008.
But seriously, Derrick White's extension better be next. He is not the guy you fuck over in this situation. Something tells me Brad understands that, so when the time comes and the Celts are forced to overpay and give him a max extension too, they should be handing that check over without thinking twice.