The Milwaukee Bucks could play a key role in determining the winner of the 2024 NBA Finals series between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
At least according to two prominent NBA stars.
After Boston beat Dallas 106-99 on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Finals series, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid posted a question on X (formerly Twitter), which caught the attention of Warriors forward Draymond Green.
During the latest episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” Green explained why the Bucks' offseason trade of guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and ultimately to the Eastern Conference rival Celtics gave Boston the pieces it needed to win a championship.
“The answer to Joel's question is yes, they did indeed trade Jrue, so [a way] “We’re going to do everything we can to keep Jrue because he’s a bigger defender,” Green explained. “Jrue can play without the ball and he can play with the ball. [Damian Lillard]”
“I think there were other things Milwaukee could have done to keep Jrue, but they certainly did. [give Boston the championship] … It's a perfectly valid question that Joel Embiid knew the answer to. That question gave Boston the championship, and Boston did a good job putting it together. You have to give them credit… But he gave it to them.”
The Bucks initially traded Holiday to the Blazers for eight-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, then Portland traded Holiday to Boston and the rest is history.
Holiday played in 73 games this season and averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while helping lead the Celtics' stout defense.
Holiday's addition, along with 7-foot-2 center Kristaps Porzingis, acquired in a three-team trade last offseason, strengthened Boston's already-successful roster and the team is now one win away from winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
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