BOSTON — The Milwaukee Bucks never gave up on July Holiday.
It was never that simple.
Looking for ways to bolster their roster after losing in the first round to the Miami Heat last October, the Bucks saw an opportunity to pair Giannis Antetokounmpo with fellow living legend Damian Lillard and made the trade. The Bucks undoubtedly had mixed emotions watching Holiday dominate Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, but in fairness, it's important to remember that the move was nearly universally praised at the time.
But Milwaukee's secrecy leading up to the trade, including the unconventional decision to use the team locker room at Fiserv Forum as a temporary headquarters for the final three days to avoid media leaks, speaks to how much respect they still have for the two-time All-Star who was such a key part of their 2021 title run.
There was a strong desire to never let it be known that Holiday was on the brink of being moved if the Lillard trade with Portland fell through, plus there was still confidence that with Holiday in the fold, the Bucks could win for a second time with the roster intact.
These situations are tricky and often delicate when running an NBA team, but of course the deal was made and the 33-year-old Holiday joined a Celtics team that was halfway to its goal of winning the franchise's 18th championship (which would break a league-leading tie with the Los Angeles Lakers) after just four days with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Listening to Holiday reflect on his stellar performance in Game 2, in which he had 26 points (11-of-14 shooting), 11 rebounds and three assists in a 105-98 win, it was clear he was taking it all in. And, as he claimed, that's not the case, because he's still in the running for the Larry O'Brien Award and the Bucks have been at home since early May.
“I'm close with (Bucks general manager) Jon (Horst),” Holiday said. Athletic After Game 2, he said: “Obviously, we've been through a lot and won together, but I'm not the type of person to ever get hurt. I wasn't hurt by this trade either.”
“For me personally, I don't know about my wife or my kids, but it was a shock. It was a shock, you know? You wake up from a nap, you get a call, and five minutes later you're off somewhere else. I wish I'd known a day or so before. Yeah, but I understand John's point of view 100 percent. It's not easy.”
His wife Lauren He expressed dissatisfaction with the way the transaction was handled.But time heals all wounds, and Jrue is in a better place in basketball now than he's ever been. As he recalled, how the Trail Blazers handled his uncertain future played a key role in that process.
“Portland was in communication with me about what I wanted to do,” Holiday said. “They told me the timeline, how they viewed the team, what I would bring to the table and stuff like that. But they asked me (if I wanted to be traded). So, they gave me the option, and I really respect that, because I've never been through anything like that before. (Trail Blazers head coach) Chauncey (Billups) and GM (Joe Cronin) communicated with me and honestly, helped guide me to where I am right now.”
“So after we had that conversation, there were three or four days of not knowing where I was going to go, (but) there was an understanding that (his next team) was going to be competitive. That's why they sent me back here.”
When Holiday arrived in Boston, it meant a transition from 54-year-old veteran coach Mike Budenholzer to 35-year-old Joe Mazzulla, who was in his first full season at the helm of the Celtics. Holiday and Mazzulla only spent one night together, at All-Star Weekend in 2023. That weekend, Holiday played just nine minutes in Team Giannis' 184-175 win over Team LeBron.
“I'm really grateful that he played me for (nine minutes) in the All-Star Game,” Holiday said. “I'm not as good as the other guys, but we won games, so he coached me well.”
“And I actually got to talk to him more about his faith and more outside of basketball and get to know him a little bit more at the All-Star Game. It was great, getting to know someone and building a relationship. And I never thought he'd end up being my coach in the future.”
But even before they met that weekend, Mazzulla said he felt he knew Holiday well because of their shared Christian faith — specifically, Mazzulla often used a mobile app that allows Holiday to read Bible verses to users.
“His voice was on the app, reading poetry, and I was listening to it,” Mazzulla said. Athletic“So I've always had a spiritual connection with him.”
As their first season together progressed, their bond grew as Holiday's two-way talents gave the Celtics a perimeter defense no other team in the league could match. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way and Holiday joining Kristaps Porzingis, this Celtics was far stronger than the team that lost to Golden State in the Finals two years ago, and Boston ran off with a run in the regular season. And after it all clicked, Holiday was rewarded with a four-year, $135 million contract extension in mid-April and would be the workhorse of this Celtics era.
As Game 2 reminded us, Holiday's influence isn't always at the forefront. He was the undisputed star of the recent Finals, hurting the Mavericks on a night when Tatum and Brown were mediocre by their standards, but in his postgame press conference, he let the basketball world know where he stands in the Celtics power rankings. After saying in an interview with SiriusXM that he agrees with Dallas coach Jason Kidd's assessment that Brown is Boston's best player, Holiday made it clear that he views Tatum and Brown as co-leaders of the team.
In fact, Holiday looked like the Celtics' best player on Sunday night, and Mazzulla, who has watched Holiday's impact up close all season, couldn't be happier about the Bucks' decision to move him.
“You've felt his impact in moments throughout the season,” Mazzulla said. “He's so good and so sweet, he doesn't like to hold anyone back. But there's been 10 or 12 times where he's taken control of a game and every time that happens you're like, 'OK, this is the guy.' He picks his spots really, really well. He's a valuable asset.”
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(Top photo of Jrue Holiday: Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)
