Does a Jrue Holiday for DeMar DeRozan deal make sense for the Celtics?

There are reports around the Sacramento Kings have expressed interest in acquiring Celtics guard Jrue Holiday.

James Ham, who covers the Kings for TheKingsBeat.com, said that Sacramento does have interest in the now 35-year-old guard.

“The Kings checked in on (Holiday) and wanted to see what the price is worth and everything like that. From my understanding Boston has better offers than what the Kings are offering.”

Let’s live in a world where the Celtics and Kings do agree on a Jrue Holiday trade and the return is DeMar DeRozan. If the Celtics really do have better offers than that, maybe the Kings throw in the 2027 Spurs first round pick or a few 2nd rounders.

A Holiday for DeRozan one for one swap works if it is completed by July 1st. If not, the Kings would need to add another player because the deal would be $150,000 from working for the 2025-26 season. As a result, if there is going to be a deal, it should take place soon.

This deal would get the Celtics to $13.3 million over the 2nd apron, which they need to get under, as I discussed in my Sam Hauser story from last week.

DeRozan’s fit in Boston is something that would be fun to see how it plays out.

DeRozan is a 6-time All-Star and a 3-time All-NBA player. He can flat out score the ball, as he has scored at least 20 points per game in every season since the 2013-14 campaign.

Boston is going to need someone to help fill the scoring void that is being left by Jayson Tatum next season. However, DeRozan just does not fit the Mazzulla Ball system.

Of all of DeRozan’s shots a season ago, 80.4% of them came from inside the 2-point arc. DeRozan took 8.3 mid range shots per game in his first season as a King. That is 5.4 more than Jayson Tatum, who lead the Celtics with 2.9 mid range shots per game during the 2024-25 season.

There is no way that DeRozan would get his mid-range shots to under 3 per game. During the 2020-21 season, his last as a Spur, DeRozan took 5.9 mid-range shots per game. That was the last season he did not lead the NBA in mid-range shot attempts per game.

DeRozan’s defense isn’t great but that is to be expected from a guy who will be 36 on opening night. He has a tendency to get beat on drives to the cup but isn’t a terrible defensive player who costs the team on that end consistently.

DeRozan is not a bad passer either. His 4.4 assists per game and 18.7% assist rate were down from his time with the Bulls, where he averaged 5.1 assists per game and had an assist rate of 22.4%. Assist rate is the estimated percentage of baskets the player assisted on when they were on the court.

DeRozan is also one of the clutchest players in the NBA. He didn’t have a great clutch season this past year, shooting 44% from the field and 20% from three in clutch games. Which are defined by the NBA as games with 5 points with under 5 minutes to go in the game. However, for he finished 3rd in Clutch Player of the Year voting during the 2022-23 season and 2nd for the 2023-24 season when he was with the Bulls.

He has an elite clutch gene.

How would DeRozan fit in Boston?

Jayson Tatum is going to miss a significant portion of next season with his achilles tear (I hate being reminded of this fact), if not all of it. Boston is going to need guys to score the ball next season. Anticipating that he is back, Jaylen Brown will be one of those guys and an increased role from Payton Pritchard will also help. However, DeRozan is a bucket, who is elite at getting to his spots and hitting jump shots. That is something that the Celtics will need next season.

DeRozan’s contract is also something that Boston should have interest in. Just $10 million of the $25 million DeRozan is scheduled to make during the 2026-27 season is guaranteed. If the Celtics want to move off of DeRozan after the season, they can waive and stretch him at just over $3 million for 3 seasons. If he makes the All-Star team next season that would increase to $12 million but if he is an All-Star the Celtics likely wouldn’t waive him.

So, does it make sense for the Celtics to trade Holiday for DeRozan?

I don’t think it would be a bad trade for the Celtics but should the Celtics prioritize DeRozan in a Holiday trade? No, they should not. DeRozan is a great player, who would be fun to watch play for the Celtics. However, he is going to be 36 in August and would not be a long term piece for the Celtics.

If Boston can get something they can keep long term in a Holiday trade they should do that instead of trading for DeRozan because next season is likely to be a wash anyways.