Public thanks! Stevens bids farewell to Holiday and Posses with affectionate goodbye

The Celtics official bid farewell to Holiday & wave gods! 238 million salary space is released, and the Celtics are on the battlefield with light equipment!

On July 8, Celtics' basketball operations president Brad Stevens issued an official statement, officially expressing his gratitude to Ju Holiday and Christaps Porzingis who left the team, and stressed that the two's contribution to the team "was far more than above the court."

In the statement, Stevens said emotionally:

"We are very grateful to Porzingis and Holiday, and the time we spent together in Boston. They are great Celtic players and have had a much more impact on our team than on the field. They are core members of two excellent teams, and one of them has also brought us a new championship flag. "

Holiday and Porzingis both helped the Celtics win the 18th championship in team history in 2024, surpassing the Lakers to occupy the No. 1 in NBA history. Stevens specifically mentioned that in the future, when the two return to TD Garden Arena as opponents, the team will hold a tribute ceremony for them.

Previously, the Celtics completed two major deals in a row:

Holiday→ Trail Blazers, exchanged for Anthony Simmons + 2 round picks

Porzingis→ Hawks (three-party transactions), and obtained George Nyan + 1 round pick

These two operations saved the Celtics $238 million in salary + luxury tax expenses, of which Porzingis' departure alone reduced the potential fines by 210 million. The team's salary has successfully dropped below the second rich line (195.9 million), making room for subsequent operations.

Stevens' abacus was smart: exchange short-term competitiveness for long-term flexibility.

Holiday averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in the 2023-24 championship season, and the key defense in the playoffs secured the championship. However, last season, averaging only 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and his condition declined significantly.

Porcelain averaged 19.8 points, 7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in the 2023-24 championship season, with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.2%. However, due to the "unknown virus" last season, the playoffs had only 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, and the three-point shooting percentage plummeted to 15.4%.

Despite sending away the two champion members, the Celtics retained the core structures of Tatum, Brown and White, and added the ready-to-play combat power such as Simmons (19.3 points per game) and Nian (38.9% three-point shooting percentage).

Stevens emphasized: "Our decisions have always served the construction of long-term competitiveness. The current adjustment will retain more flexible operating space for the championship window after Tatum's comeback. "

Although Tatum was injured and sent away the champion members, the Celtics in the new season will still be a force that cannot be ignored in the East.