Change was inevitable for the Boston Celtics this summer. Boston’s payroll had them in danger of spending over the league’s second-apron threshold for the third consecutive season -- an offense that comes with significant consequences.
Their roster simply wasn’t sustainable.
As a result, key pieces of the Celtics’ 2024 NBA Championship team, like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, were re-routed to new homes in salary-shedding trades.
Holiday, in particular, has looked great through the first three weeks of the NBA season. He and the Portland Trail Blazers are off to a 5-4 start and sit seventh in a loaded Western Conference.