The Athletic’s Zach Harper reports the Boston Celtics shopped All-Star point guard Kemba Walker for picks in an effort to land Pelicans veteran Jrue Holiday in their push to improve their 2020-21 contention bid.
Harper, who is known to quip with abandon, made sure to note in his own mentions that this tidbit is not a joke — which might make for an awkward start to the season if no further moves are pursued.
That team president Danny Ainge would move so aggressively after signing the UConn product in free agency might surprise some, but the Celtics chief has never been shy about potentially hurting feelings to improve the team.
Danny Ainge was throwing Kemba at everybody trying to get the picks for Jrue. Instead… it won’t be happy Holidays for him
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) November 17, 2020
The first sentence is not a bit. The second sentence is a brilliantly crafted punctuation.
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) November 17, 2020
While we don’t know the teams nor the asking price, Boston may have simply been doing due diligence, though the tenor implied by Harper sounds more involved than simply surveying the options available.
It is also unclear if concerns over the health of Walker’s often-balky knee were a factor.
No word yet from Walker or the Celtics organization, but as with all things offseason, we’ll be monitoring the situation closely.
