Jrue Holiday on Celtics extension: ‘I want to be here. I want to win multiple rings’

BOSTON — Jrue Holiday didn’t know if this day would come. His arrival in Boston was a whirlwind.

He was suddenly traded from Milwaukee, where he was a pillar in the community, rerouted through Portland and then landed in Boston. It was a disorienting event requiring time to orient himself to his new reality.

“I think there was a little bump there in the beginning, just trying to get my bearings in the city in general,” Holiday said. “But I think it comes pretty easy, just that type of guy that molds to my situation.”

Holiday was walking into an opportunity to compete for another NBA title. It looked like he could help the Celtics, especially after the loss of Marcus Smart. He could provide an edge.

It didn’t take long for Holiday to mold an elite defense around him, establish a more efficient but pared-down offensive role, and find his place in a new city. Eventually, he knew this was where he wanted to stay.

Holiday signed a four-year, $135 million contract extension with the Celtics on Thursday, setting him up to potentially retire in Boston. It took him a while to know he was ready to commit long-term, but Holiday said it was something he hoped for from the moment he became a part of the Celtics.

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— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2024

As he acclimated this season, he had to block the looming extension talks from the front of his mind. He became eligible to get the deal once April began, providing a short window before the playoffs start to make it happen. At that point, it could have lingered into the offseason, when he could have exercised his original player option and hit free agency.

And while he got the deal done, he insisted Thursday it wouldn’t have affected his impact on the organization, no matter what happened.

“During this time, yes, I was thinking about it,” Holiday said before the Celtics’ 118-109 loss to the Knicks. “But I would say that the most important thing for me was that I wanted to just continue to show the city, continue to show my team that I want to be here and I want to play if I signed the contract or not.”

A part of the adjustment to the city was understanding what it would be like to be in a major media market like Boston. He spent his early years in Philadelphia, a city similar to Boston in terms of fan fervor and impatience.

But this was his first time back in that kind of environment. So far, there has hardly been a blip.

“Even when we’re the No. 1 team in the league and they have to find something to talk about,” Holiday said. “I think we’ve done a good job of blocking out all the noise and sticking close as a team.”

Holiday has found a role on this team as the fifth member added to this core. Derrick White figured it out last year. Kristaps Porziņģis was the first step of the offseason overhaul and had a clear purpose.

While finding a role on the floor that maximized his abilities would take time, it was apparent he was going to play a crucial role when the clock wasn’t running.

“Jrue’s the man. Everybody loves him in this locker room,” Porziņģis said. “From Day 1, showed up selfless and giving everything to the team. Well-deserved extension. Happy that he’s going to be around.”

But where would Holiday prove his worth, especially since he came at a significant cost?

“Jrue is an embodiment of a professional with what he’s been able to accomplish,” Brown said. “I think we always point at guys at the top, like the Stephs (Curry) or LeBrons (James) or whatever is in terms of greatness, but I think Jrue is an example of somebody just doing their job very well for a long period of time and I think that’s pretty cool to watch.”

He has been coach Joe Mazzulla’s voice on the defensive end, orchestrating their coverages and taking on whatever assignment his coach needs from him. It took a while for them to find synergy, but it’s been one of the keys to Boston’s nightly versatility.

“Joe has definitely grown my game,” Holiday said. “Grown kind of my vision and perspective on basketball, where every year, I do plan to grow. But I think being able to give me a different responsibility to look at the game differently, especially with the players and the pieces that we have, I’ve never been on a team like that. So it’s been fun just to get to know Joe and kind of his craziness and his schemes. But at the same time, really see our team put it together.”

Every coach has their talking points they hit throughout the season. For Mazzulla, “perspective” and “awareness” have been his keywords.

He has spent the last few years preaching a read-and-react approach to the floor, and Holiday has been one of the keys to unlocking that philosophy.

“I think similar to the rest of the guys, I think it says more about just his open-mindedness,” Mazzulla said. “You know, his wanting to be coached his wanting to reinvent, to read, to develop different perspectives. And so I think it says a lot about who he is and who the guys are.”

And Holiday is a good person to uphold that open-mindedness once things get tough. He’s won a championship. He was the steady hand that guided the Bucks to the title while Giannis Antetokounmpo shouldered the load. Now he’s trying to do the same with the Celtics.

“A little bit of luck, a lot of health, and a lot of mental fortitude,” Holiday said. “I think for us to be strong mentally where a lot of people if a game goes wrong or somebody misses a big shot or does something like that, you hear the noise. But I think, as a team, we’ve done a really good job of blocking all that out.”

So getting a deal done wasn’t that hard. Boston gave him the ideal years and structure with a player option at the end of the deal. He took a pay cut from his annual salary but gets guaranteed money until he’s 38.

“I feel like it was pretty easy,” Holiday said. “I think mutually we just came to an agreement and felt like this was what was best for not only me, but for the team and, just hope it works. I want to be here. I want to win multiple rings. I’ve heard people say that here plenty of times, so I’m ready for that.”

Holiday, 33, could have hit the market or even taken the player option next year and found an opportunity to maximize his paycheck and role. He knows this could be his last NBA contract.

“Knowing that this was my 15th year, I know time is coming,” Holiday said. “So I think being able to be on a team and being in an organization like this is big for me. But I think from the beginning, this is a part of what I wanted.”

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(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)