What Celtics’ Brad Stevens Told Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis Before Trades

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens knew the time was coming well before it did. And it prompted Stevens to speak with both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason about the possibility neither would return to Boston.

Speaking to reporters at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday, Stevens shared he met with both Holiday and Porzingis about a month before either was traded. It was a straight-forward conversation given all involved knew the financial situation the Celtics were in.

“I actually talked to both those guys a couple weeks before and just said, ‘Listen, there’s a chance you’re back but there’s also a high chance that you’re not,'” Stevens told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston.

Boston traded Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal first reported June 23 and finalized Monday. The Green dealt Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks less than 24 hours later, though Porzingis was asleep at the time the three-team agreement was made. Porzingis knew it was coming, Stevens said.

“The agents have done a good job of understanding the challenges of the new CBA and the new second apron. And it was really important to us to get out of that penalty box in a lot of ways. Because you can feel those, those are real things,” Stevens said. “And so I had conversations with both of them prior to, but those are still hard phone calls to make.”

Stevens confirmed it was “pretty obvious” the Celtics traded both in an effort to cut salary and get below the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston accomplished its goal with the Porzingis trade.

The C’s acquired Anfernee Simons in its trade with Portland while Georges Niang arrives in Boston as a result of the Porzingis trade.