Celtics may acquire Mavs’ $40 million lob threat, deal Jrue Holiday via stunning 3-team swap

The Boston Celtics' financial constraints will see the franchise move some pieces around in an effort to sink below the second tax apron this coming offseason, and one of the greatest defensive players in recent league history will likely be a casualty of Boston's cost-cutting tactics.

The Celtics' 2-time NBA champion and 6-time All-Defensive Team selection Jrue Holiday will be entering his 17th NBA campaign in 2025-26. While the team would surely love to retain his services as one of the most reliable veteran stars in the league, he'll have the opportunity to accept a $37.2 million player option in the summer of 2027 at 37 years old. 

With Holiday's gargantuan contract likely earning him a spot on the team's summer trade block, recent reports have indicated that it's possible for the Celtics to flip the aging 2-time All-Star point guard for a refreshing paint presence and versatile wing from the Dallas Mavericks.

"Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury stands to fast-track the Celtics’ inevitable cost-cutting in the face of the second apron," Bleacher Report's Dan Favale wrote Tuesday.

"This trade wouldn't get them out of it, but it would lay the groundwork for a bunch of different options."

"(P.J.) Washington could help offset some of the Tatum minutes (positionally speaking). (Daniel) Gafford would be valuable big-man insurance with Al Horford entering free agency (and turning 39) and with Kristaps Porziņģis' questionable bill of health."

"Both incoming Mavs are on expiring contracts. Boston could look at rerouting them as part of a larger plan to skirt the second apron or the tax entirely. Or it could try trimming salary in a Porziņģis trade. This package would give the Celtics a ton of options as they potentially enter a gap year."

In a hypothetical trade scenario, Favale suggests that the Celtics and Mavericks should ask Brooklyn Nets to facilitate a three-team summer trade, providing Boston with Gafford and Washington, Dallas with Holiday and Brooklyn with the veteran big man Dwight Powell and a 2026 second round draft pick.

With Boston's frontcourt duo of Horford and Luke Kornet both preparing for unrestricted free agency this offseason, bringing in a dominant lob threat and rim-deterrent in Gafford might not be a terrible idea, especially due to his expiring $14.3 million salary for 2025-26.

At just 26 years old, Gafford has developed into one of the NBA's most underrated contributors at the center position. In 57 appearances for Dallas this past regular season, the 6-foot-11 leaper averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while connecting on a ridiculous 70.2% of his attempts from the field. 

As for the 6-foot-7 wing Washington, he can make an immediate impact as a member of the Celtics' rotation in the absence of Tatum due to his versatility and three-point shooting.

The former No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft compiled box score figures of 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists while knocking down 38.1% of his looks from three-point range in 57 contests for the Mavericks this season. 

Dealing a player with Holiday's championship pedigree and big-game experience would surely be a tough pill for Boston to swallow, but the potential return of Gafford and Washington could be one that the franchise takes a particular liking to since they'd be saving roughly $3.9 million in the process.