Surprising West Rival Joins Kevin Durant Trade Hopefuls
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Celtics Star Jrue Holiday Emerges as Shocking Trade Target for West Rival
Celtics star Jrue Holiday Emerges as Shocking Trade Target for West Rival. 6-foot-4 UCLA product is past his athletic prime at age 35. Holiday regressed mightily in 2024-25, which can be in part credited to a lingering mallet finger injury that affected his jumper, for a time. Sacramento Kings could be in the mix to acquire Holiday this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, who says the Kings are looking at Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, both of whom are free agents. The Kings have plenty of high-level creation at the wing, as they employ DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, plus frequent Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Monk.
Six-time All-Defensive Team Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday and his pricey contract have long been floated as top contenders to be offloaded this summer.
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As is, the Celtics face an historic payroll that could exceed $500 million, so the 2024 champs — now transitioning to a new ownership group under private equity executive William Chisholm — are incentivized to shed contracts during the offseason.
Holiday is a prime candidate to be dealt. The 6-foot-4 UCLA product, a two-time All-Star and two-time champ, is now understandably past his athletic prime at age 35. He regressed mightily in 2024-25, which can be in part credited to a lingering mallet finger injury that affected his jumper, for a time.
Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) dunks and scores against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of game two of the 2024 NBA Finals at the TD Garden. USA TODAY Sports Images
For the 61-21 Celtics this past regular season, the two-time gold medalist averaged 11.1 points on .443/.353/.909 shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists across 62 healthy contests in 2024-25. Holiday remained an effective defender, but appeared to lose a step laterally.
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Holiday will earn $32.4 million next year, and is owed $104.4 million through 2027-28 (he has a player option for that season, which given his age he seems likely to pick up).
Now, it appears a new club has emerged as an interested party for his absorbing Holiday’s money.
Per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Sacramento Kings could be in the mix to acquire Holiday this offseason.
“New general manager Scott Perry, remember, immediately highlighted the Kings’ need for improved playmaking during his introductory press conference and sources have duly linked Sacramento to various guards known to be available this summer,” Fischer writes.
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Sacramento has been in the market for point guard help since All-Star De’Aaron Fox demanded — and was granted — a trade to the San Antonio Spurs ahead of this year’s deadline.
The Kings have plenty of high-level creation at the wing, as they employ former All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, plus frequent Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Monk. Sacramento’s All-Star center, Domantas Sabonis, is also an above-average ball handler for a big man.
Though he’s not quite at his best anymore, Holiday could still give the Kings a boost on both sides of the ball. Sacramento is also desperate for defensive help, which even a depleted Holiday could provide.
Fischer notes that the Kings are also looking at Washington Wizards veterans Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, the latter of whom is a free agent.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Source: https://athlonsports.com/nba/phoenix-suns/surprising-west-rival-joins-kevin-durant-trade-hopefuls