Celtics trade key player to Trail Blazers

Holiday is the first player of the team's championship core to be traded, and he may not be the last one.

Charania also notes that the Celtics are remaining engaged in trade discussions surrounding other key players on their roster, though other specific players have not yet been named.

It's a bit of deja vu for Holiday, as he was traded from the Blazers to the Celtics less than two years ago in October 2023 in the blockbuster deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Celtics have reportedly been looking to reduce their payroll, and this deal saves them about $40 million in luxury tax, per Charania.

A possible retooling of the team's roster comes in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs.

A report from a couple of weeks ago stated that the Celtics could also listen to offers for Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.

With Tatum expected to be sidelined for much of, if not all of, next season, the Celtics could struggle to compete for an NBA title, but adding an offensive-minded player like Simons could make up for some of the missing offense.

The 26-year-old guard is coming off a season where he averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 made three-pointers per game.

This was the fourth consecutive season in which Simons averaged at least three made three-pointers per game, and the third consecutive season in which he averaged at least 8.5 three-point attempts per game.

His long-range ability fits right into what the Celtics do, as head coach Joe Mazzulla's three-point-heavy offense just set the record for most made threes by a team in a season with 1,457. They also have the third most in a season with 1,351 in 2023-24.

The first domino has fallen for a potential roster overhaul for the Celtics, and it may not be much longer before we see another one fall in a blockbuster deal.