The Boston Celtics upgraded from Marcus Smart to Jrue Holiday at point guard following the Smart-Kristaps Porzingis trade and the final Malcolm Brogdon/Robert Williams-for-Holiday trade over the offseason, an unnamed coach told Heavy’s Steve
“My name is Marcus Smart. He said, “I love what he brings to a team, and now that he and Ja (Morant) are finally together, you’re going to see more of it in Memphis.” However, Jrue is unquestionably an improvement for the team’s chemistry. By no means am I implying that those guys didn’t think Marcus was cool. However, I have never heard anyone criticize Jrue Holiday—player, coach, or front-office staff member.”
Everyone is aware by now of Marc Stein’s Christmas report stating the Celtics are hoping to acquire Kelly Olynyk back. Similar to how, given the current situation, everyone knows that the likelihood of Olynyk getting moved back to the Celtics is almost nonexistent. Though Olynyk’s deal is relatively cheap, Boston will find it difficult to put together a trade for him without maybe upsetting an established formula.
Anyone would wonder why something like this was released just from that idea. But that’s not all there is to it. It is not the executive style of Brad Stevens to leak that the Celtics are considering a trade for Kelly Olynyk (again). When it comes to leaking trade rumors, Stevens has mostly been silent since taking over as the Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations.In the majority of cases during the Stevens era, no information from the Celtics leaks prior to a trade. Before Stevens decided to trade Kemba Walker for Al Horford, no one believed the Celtics wanted him back. Before it was revealed that Malcolm Brogdon had been acquired by the Celtics, he appeared to be a fantasy. Before Stevens signed Josh Richardson away from Dallas, nothing had connected the Celtics to the player (though it feels like a long time ago). This obviously shows a pattern that suggests Stevens operates virtually exclusively behind the scenes.
