MassLive’s Brian Robb revealed the offseason price teams would have to pay to pry Derrick White or Jrue Holiday off of the Boston Celtics — and it’s steep. So much so, that as Robb relays, the most likely course of action would be a trade (far) down the road.
“Any offers for White or Holiday would be significant,” Robb prefaced before saying, “White probably has more value now due to his age after his breakout play this year but I think you are looking at 2-3 first round picks and/or promising young talent for either guy. Ultimately, moving one of them later this decade probably makes the most sense from a depth standpoint on paper but dealing a bigger contract (Brown?) may ease the financial and team-building burden even more. If the Celtics have won a title by 2025, the odds of that go down significantly. If not, something will have to give by that point in all likelihood.”
Holiday is up for an extension, though as Robb points out, the 33-year-old can opt into his player option for $37 million; likely a much higher price point than what a potential extension would be from the Cs. White is due for a new contract in 2025, and at the rate he’s playing, that could end up pushing Boston’s tax bill into extremely punitive tax territory.
Something’s got to give, but Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck claimed in 2022 that Brad Stevens has the green light to spend “whatever it takes” to bring home a championship.
“People can write or think whatever they want,” Grousbeck prefaced before saying, “Or, you can actually look at what we do, which is do whatever we possibly can to win a championship. And we’re in the mode right now of completely adding on. Are you going to trade future draft picks and young players under 30? Hopefully not. But money is not a consideration whatsoever, and this roster shows that.”
Boston Celtics can break up roster if team falls short in postseason
The likelihood of a Celtics trade of White, Holiday, or even a Jaylen Brown increase dramatically should the team falter in the postseason. Anything short of a Finals appearance may be grounds to break up the core of this team given the tax implications.
There’d be few crueler outcomes than this historic team not getting another chance at a title, but the NBA is one of the cruelest businesses in existence.
Just ask the Mike D’Antoni-era Phoenix Suns or the Jerry Sloan-era Jazz.
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