Jrue Holiday Was ‘Super Excited’ When Brad Stevens Called Him And Told Him He Was Being Traded To Portland Trail Blazers

During an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday said he was “super excited” when Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens called him and told him he was being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Holiday has a close relationship with Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

“Everyone was just talking about it. Nobody was really asking me about the trade,” Jrue Holiday said. “Everyone was assuming I was miserable or unhappy with it. But when I got the call from Brad, I was super excited.

“Being able to see the roster, the type of players, and the character that they have, going to a team like that means a lot. Young or veteran team, I know that a team with good character guys will always be a good situation.”

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Holiday to the Trail Blazers in 2023 in the Damian Lillard trade. Holiday was then traded to the Celtics, who won the 2024 championship against the Dallas Mavericks.

Lillard and Holiday are now teammates in Portland, with the latter expected to have a huge role this season since the former won’t play.

“I expect to be a little more of a role [offensively in Portland],” Holiday said. “Handle the ball a little bit more. Get people into actions. Maybe [I’ll be] more part of the offense here.”

Holiday will make $32.4 million this season. He appeared in 62 games for the Celtics last season, averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

A two-time All-Star, Holiday is 35. He’s the oldest player on the Trail Blazers.

“I feel old, man,” Holiday said. “I’ve been talking to some of these guys and learning how old they are. There was something that happened the other day. Someone asked me if I had played against Chauncey and I said, ‘Yeah. …’

“Some of the guys are like 20, 21. I’m 35. That’s like a 14-, 15-year age gap. When I got drafted, they were like 6. That’s crazy. I think [connecting] just comes naturally. When it comes to basketball, I don’t think [age] matters. We all speak the same language when it comes to basketball, and we have a mature group — no nonsense or anything like that.”