Three thoughts after Celtics splurge to extend Jrue Holiday

[ad_1]

Three thoughts after Celtics splurge to extend Jrue Holiday originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A handful of immediate thoughts after the Boston Celtics and Jrue Holiday agreed to a four-year, $135 million extension:

1. Security for both sides

After paying a hefty price to acquire Holiday on the eve of training camp for the 2023-24 season, all with no guarantee that he’d stick around beyond the current season, the Celtics splurged again Wednesday to ensure he’ll be here for as long as the team is willing to pay for this title-contending core.

Holiday gets a big payday in advance of his 34th birthday and can dive into both the 2024 playoffs and 2024 Olympics with his long-term future secure. The Celtics don’t have to worry about Holiday’s status entering a summer in which Jayson Tatum’s supermax extension becomes the top priority.

2. Brad Stevens loves extensions

In the two-plus seasons since his surprising elevation to president of basketball operations in 2021, Stevens has embraced extensions at every opportunity.

Add Holiday to a list that also includes Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Josh Richardson, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, and Payton Pritchard. The investments in Smart and Williams III helped Stevens craft the moves to acquire Porzingis and Holiday. Richardson went out in the deal to acquire Derrick White.

Stevens appears to see extensions as investments that allow his players to keep their focus on the goal at hand while also giving the team long-term ability to shape its roster using those new deals. Holiday’s future could have hovered over the team’s postseason run, and while it creates some long-term concerns with a ballooning payroll, the team seems content to cross that bridge further down the road.

3. Flexibility next year, difficult decisions after

Holiday was on the books at $37.4 million next season with a potential cap hit of $39.4 million with incentives. That number will dip closer to $30 million, affording the team some additional flexibility as it tries to navigate the second apron in a restrictive new collective bargaining agreement.

Boston’s roster is…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/three-thoughts-celtics-splurge-extend-013925824.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-04-11 01:55:23

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.