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Celtics’ Jrue Holiday reportedly drawing interest from Mavericks
Jrue Holiday has another three years left on his contract with the Celtics.
Changes are coming for the Celtics this summer.
With Jayson Tatum potentially out for the 2025-26 season due to a ruptured Achilles and Boston already staring at some steep luxury-tax penalties, Brad Stevens will likely have to shed salary this summer.
That could mean moving lineup regulars like Jrue Holiday and/or Kristaps Porzingis in a contract-dumping deal.
And while Holiday’s age (34) and contract (three years remaining with over $32 million in annual salary) would seemingly preclude the Celtics from moving the veteran guard, one team has reportedly expressed interest in taking him off of Boston’s hands.
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In the latest edition of his “SteinLine” newsletter, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Dallas Mavericks are interested in dealing for Holiday.
“League sources say Dallas is expected to at least explore whether there are any feasible trade pathways to Boston’s Jrue Holiday — complicated as that would likely be given the three years and $104 million still left on Holiday’s contract,” Stein wrote.
Even with Holiday’s steep contract, a win-now team like the Mavericks could covet a defensive ace and two-time champion like Holiday.
But Dallas has its own financial issues to sort out, as they already have two pricey contracts in place between Anthony Davis ($57.6 million salary in 2025-26) and Kyrie Irving ($42.9 million salary) on the books.
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Speaking after Boston’s season came to a close in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks, Holiday expressed a desire to stay in Boston for the remainder of his contract.
“I think we still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to be successful and win a championship again,” Holiday 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 Brad [Stevens], has been amazing. So, yeah, the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that.”
While Holiday would likely provide plenty of value to Boston’s roster in 2025-26 and beyond, the Celtics’ salary-cap crunch will need to be resolved sooner rather than later, with Tatum’s injury opening the door for Boston to potentially take a step back in 2025-26 in hopes of greater returns the following year.
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