Boston could still use Holiday’s steady hand, but moving on from an often-unavailable Kristaps Porzingis is already paying off.
This week brings about a tale of two reunions.
Jrue Holiday’s return to TD Garden with Portland (23-23) brings back a version of Boston (28-17) that still makes sense in people’s heads.
Kristaps Porzingis’ return, originally slated for Wednesday and now postponed, brings back a version of the Celtics they were right to move on from.
Put together, the two moments tell the real story of last summer’s decisions: not every tough goodbye ages the same.
Holiday walking back into the Garden is going to sting a little, because his value is obvious even now. Boston didn’t trade him because he stopped fitting. They traded him because the math changed.
His defensive intelligence, late-game calm, and ability to connect lineups are exactly the things this current Celtics team could use during a stretch defined by tired legs and late-game slippage. He’s the kind of player who doesn’t solve everything, but quietly makes everything cleaner.
Watching Boston struggle with communication on switches or defensive execution in crunch time lately, it’s impossible not to picture Holiday organizing traffic, blowing up a play early, or simply making the right decision when chaos creeps in. He’d help this team right now, and everyone in the building knows it.
That doesn’t make the trade wrong. It just makes it honest.
Porzingis, on the other hand, represents the opposite outcome.
His now-postponed reunion is further validation for Brad Stevens.
Porzingis has now missed eight straight games and hasn’t played since January 7, dealing with left Achilles tendinitis after already losing significant time earlier this season to illness. He’s appeared in just 17 games total.
Jan 27, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) guard Jaylen Brown (7) and guard Jrue Holiday (4) on the bench during the second half against the LA Clippers at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)Even when healthy, his role has fluctuated, including coming off the bench. That volatility is exactly what Boston couldn’t afford to build around - financially or structurally.
The Celtics didn’t move on from Porzingis because of what he couldn’t do on the court. When available, he was impactful. They moved on because availability itself was the variable they couldn’t control. An expiring $30.7 million contract attached to a big man with a long injury history is a risk profile Boston was smart to cash out of when they did.
That decision looks sharper with every missed week.
Atlanta (22-25) now has to navigate his uncertainty with the trade deadline approaching, unsure whether he can help, be moved, or simply linger. Boston avoided that exact problem, and did so before it became an anchor.
So tonight, the Garden gets a reminder of two different kinds of loss.
Holiday is the one you still miss because he’d make things easier. Porzingis is the one you appreciate from a distance because you no longer have to worry about what’s next. One would still help solve problems. The other would still create them.
That’s the balance of roster building in the NBA. You don’t win every emotional argument. You try to win the practical ones.
On that front, the Celtics split the difference.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.