Current Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday told ESPN he would’ve appreciated a heads-up before his trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Holiday had been with the Bucks since 2021, but it was a surprise for the guard when he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers before Damien Lillard joined Holiday’s former team. On Oct. 1, the Blazers gave the two-time All-Star to the Celtics.
The 33-year-old assures there are no hard feelings regarding the unexpected trade, but he felt that a warning would’ve been better.
“I think that they got what they wanted, so I can’t be mad at that,” he told reporters on Wednesday morning. “A warning would’ve been cool. But other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them, which is for the top team in the East and, hopefully, the top team in the league.”
Holiday played with the Bucks for three seasons, assisting the team in his first year to win their first championship in half a century. In 2022, the Bucks lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference without Khris Middleton.
Now, Holiday is on the Celtics, which is weird to see for his former teammate, Middleton.
“It’s going to be weird seeing him in a Celtic uniform, but I guess we got to get used to it,” Middleton said. “But it’s going to be fun competing against him. We’ve had a lot of great battles together, so I know what he’s about on the Celtics’ side. I think it should be a fun, interesting matchup for sure.”
Although Holiday’s with a new team, he won’t let it stop him from excelling on the team and getting the job done.
“I think it’s been about the same once I got traded,” Holiday said. “We do know that this is a business, and from a business standpoint, I’m in a very good position to be where I want to be, and that’s to win the championship.”
He concluded, “So again, still happy to be here. None of that has ever changed. So yeah, I wouldn’t say anything changed.”
