But as was widely reported at the time, the Celtics originally agreed to a deal that would have sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers, instead of Smart to the Grizzlies. Concerns about Brogdon’s health caused the Clippers to back out, forcing Boston to pivot to a Smart-based deal. At the time, many Celtics fans were crushed. Smart was a lifelong Celtic and a fan favorite. It hurt that the team dealt him instead of Brogdon, especially for a player as injury prone as Porzingis. But there’s a detail missing from that initial saga: Sources from around the league say that once that KP for Brogdon deal was complete, Smart still would have been sent to the Grizzlies for Tyus Jones and two firsts.
Source: The Ringer
Source: The Ringer
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Mike Guevara to @Sportskeeda on Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (@Jrue_Holiday11): “He’s approached the off-court stuff probably more intensely than the on-court stuff better than anybody I’ve worked with across the board in the NFL and the NBA.” bit.ly/3VzUGFy – 12:01 PM
Mike Guevara to @Sportskeeda on Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (@Jrue_Holiday11): “He’s approached the off-court stuff probably more intensely than the on-court stuff better than anybody I’ve worked with across the board in the NFL and the NBA.” bit.ly/3VzUGFy – 12:01 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Mike Guevara to @Sportskeeda on Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (@Jrue_Holiday11) : “He’s approached the off-court stuff probably more intensely than the on-court stuff better than anybody I’ve worked with across the board in the NFL and the NBA.” bit.ly/3VzUGFy – 11:50 AM
Mike Guevara to @Sportskeeda on Celtics’ Jrue Holiday (@Jrue_Holiday11) : “He’s approached the off-court stuff probably more intensely than the on-court stuff better than anybody I’ve worked with across the board in the NFL and the NBA.” bit.ly/3VzUGFy – 11:50 AM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“You look at [Chauncy Billups’] resume…Mo Cheeks as well…now Jrue Holiday is a for sure Hall of Famer”
Justin Termine makes a Hall of Fame case for Boston’s Holiday
@TermineRadio | @JumpShot8 pic.twitter.com/BSyvkGOwCy – 7:55 PM
“You look at [Chauncy Billups’] resume…Mo Cheeks as well…now Jrue Holiday is a for sure Hall of Famer”
Justin Termine makes a Hall of Fame case for Boston’s Holiday
@TermineRadio | @JumpShot8 pic.twitter.com/BSyvkGOwCy – 7:55 PM
More on this storyline
So even though it initially appeared that the Celtics would have acquired Porzingis without giving up Smart, he was going to be dealt anyway. If those two original deals had happened as Boston planned, there would have been no realistic way for the Celtics to acquire Jrue Holiday once he unexpectedly became available later in the summer. The Celtics would have ended up with KP and Jones instead. Maybe the Celtics would have ended up winning the title anyway without Holiday. We’ll never know. But these failed and completed trades serve as a prime example that sometimes plan A isn’t always for the best. Building a championship roster is both an art and a science, and a lot of good fortune is involved, too. -via The Ringer / June 24, 2024
One year ago, the Celtics entered the offseason knowing that they needed to make changes after falling short in the playoffs for the ninth straight year. League sources say that Boston’s top priority was acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, who had three strong performances against the Celtics during his lone season with the Wizards and scored 32 points on just 21 shots and had 13 rebounds and six assists in their third matchup. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens worked quickly to pursue Porzingis and ended up landing him and two first-round picks for Marcus Smart and one second in a three-way deal with the Grizzlies and Wizards. -via The Ringer / June 24, 2024
Marc Stein: Hours before training camp, Brad Stevens trades for Jrue Holiday. So think about what Brad Stevens has done as a GM. He’s been a better GM than he was a coach. And he did pretty well as a coach but Brad Stevens resisting all those calls, years and years and years of outsider screaming, you gotta break these two up, they’re never going to do it, instead over the past few years, Stevens went out and he traded for Al Horford. Then he traded for Derrick white. Then he traded for Kristaps Porzingis and had to give up Marcus smart in the process, which was not the most popular move in Boston. And then he went out and got Holiday. -via Apple Podcasts / June 19, 2024
With free agency nearing, rival NBA executives are monitoring Wizards free-agent point guard Tyus Jones as a possible sign-and-trade candidate, league sources told HoopsHype. -via HoopsHype / June 24, 2024
Tyus Jones is looking for a deal north of $15 million per year, two sources said this week. -via Action Network / June 18, 2024