Jrue Holiday did himself no favors with his postseason performance to solidify his future with the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics' season couldn't have ended any worse than it did. It wasn't just the fact that the Celtics fell short of the Eastern Conference Finals or the fact that Jayson Tatum suffered a potential history-altering injury. It's also the fact that the Celtics are heading into a season of much uncertainty. With rumors swirling, even before disaster struck Boston in the postseason, that the Celtics were going to explore some cost-cutting moves during the offseason, Jrue Holiday's name surfaced as a potential trade candidate.
His underwhelming performance in the postseason did him no favors in playing his way off the speculated trade block. In fact, there may now be an even greater chance that, if the Celtics do make a cost-cutting trade this offseason, it will center around Holiday.
Jrue Holiday's fateful struggles in the postseason
In his eight postseason games with the Celtics, Holiday had the least output since the 2014-15 season. During Boston's underwhelming postseason run, Holiday averaged 10 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game. The most telling stats of Holiday's impact for the Celtics in the playoffs are that he scored in single-digits in three of the six games against the Knicks in the conference semifinals, and in Game 6, specifically, when the team needed him most with Tatum sidelined with an injury, Holiday finished with just four points on 1-8 shooting from the field.
Holiday left much to be desired during this playoff run with the Celtics, and it's only going to raise more questions about his future heading into the offseason. If Boston is looking for a way to make a cost-cutting move, it's going to be impossible for Holiday not to be considered a player possibly on the chopping block.
Over the last couple of seasons, the regression in Holiday's game has been quite evident. And it's not even just the lack of production, which is not all that jarring considering how talented a team he's playing for. If there's any high-profile player the Celtics will be looking to trade this offseason, Holiday is probably the first or second name that will naturally come to mind.
Whether they'll be able to trade him (and the three years, $104-plus million remaining on his contract) remains to be seen. But if the Celtics are looking to make a cost-cutting move, Holiday is probably going to emerge as a strong candidate, especially after he did himself no favors with his performance in the postseason.