The Kevin Durant blockbuster trade ahead of Game 7 of the NBA Finals appears to have opened the floodgates for NBA trade season to begin. After the Houston Rockets sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, a handful of second-round picks, and the No. 10 pick in the draft to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Durant on Sunday, it took just over 24 hours for another big trade to be agreed to.
On Monday night the Boston Celtics agreed to trade Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a pair of future second-round picks. It is a significant transaction in several ways. The Celtics, facing steep financial penalties as a result of their payroll being over the second apron, have broken up their championship core from just one year ago by trading Holiday. The Blazers, meanwhile, re-acquire Holiday after employing the point guard for a brief stretch following the Damiain Lillard trade in 2023 and clear up a logjam of young scorers in their backcourt in the process.
