The Boston Celtics have signed Jrue Holiday to a four-year $135 million contract extension. He will decline his player option for next season. The move is estimated to save Boston around $35 million in luxury tax.
However, Holiday’s contract does raise some questions regarding how long the Celtics can keep their current core together. Jaylen Brown will enter the first year of his $286 million Super Max contract next season.
Derrick White will be entering the final year of his deal and is extension-eligible. Sam Hauser will also be an impending free agent once next season starts. And that’s before you start discussing a Super Max extension for Jayson Tatum.
Things in Boston are about to get mind-bogglingly expensive, and that’s before the Celtics fill out the back end of their rotation. Holiday’s deal was necessary. The Celtics moved on from Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams to acquire the former NBA champion, so getting some further team control over his future makes sense.
Nevertheless, the Celtics have some tough decisions to make. Keeping their current core together long-term doesn’t seem like a legitimate possibility. Instead, they must maximize their current window before figuring out how to pivot and retool on the fly. Brad Stevens has constructed a money-guzzling juggernaut. Eventually, the front office will need to pivot.
Right now, the fanbase will be celebrating Boston’s foresight in retaining Holiday. Soon, though, tough questions will start to be asked and will eventually need to be answered.
