Robert Williams was an undeniable talent who Boston Celtics fans adored for his high-flying highlights. But with an arms race in the Eastern Conference heating up, Celtics president of basketball operations had to trade a meaningful asset to acquire a good player.
It was the right move in the pursuit of Banner 18.
The Celtics on Sunday acquired veteran guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Boston dealt Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Golden State’s 2024 first-round pick and a 2029 unprotected first-rounder in the agreement. Boston beat out “several” teams for Holiday, per Wojnarowski.
Holiday was shipped to Portland on Wednesday in the blockbuster trade that resulted in Damian Lillard landing with the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee jumped Boston as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference with that move. The Celtics and Bucks now are tied with the shortest odds to win the East and NBA Finals.
Robert Williams was an undeniable talent who Boston Celtics fans adored for his high-flying highlights. But with an arms race in the Eastern Conference heating up, Celtics president of basketball operations had to trade a meaningful asset to acquire a good player.
Let’s not forget: Derrick White remains in Boston after arguably the best season of his career. The addition of Holiday very well could give the Celtics the best defensive backcourt in the league with those two. And, again, that’s after trading Smart.
Boston’s closing lineup in meaningful playoff minutes is as strong as anyone.
The reason Robert Williams feels like the bigger of two departures is due to his tenure and the fact Brogdon reportedly was unhappy with the organization. Boston included Brogdon in initial trade talks for Porzingis before having to shift gears when a Brogdon-led deal fell through. Those talks, and how the Celtics handled the elbow injury Brogdon suffered in the NBA playoffs, reportedly played into his discontent with the franchise. While Stevens and others tried to play it off, the awkwardness is not difficult to imagine. It very well could have come down to Stevens playing damage
