The NBA saw a flurry of moves during the offseason, culminating with the Portland Trail Blazers moving on from Damian Lillard last week.
After 11 years in Portland, Lillard asked to be traded in July, with the Trail Blazers pulling off the three-team deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday moves the ball down the court against the Heat, April 22, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Portland acquired Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected Milwaukee first-round draft pick, and unprotected Milwaukee swap rights in 2028 and 2030, per ESPN.
The Suns landed Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson in the deal.
Holiday has since been moved to the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster trade that most believe puts Boston and Milwaukee as the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.
While trades are business as usual for fans of the game, there is a human side to players being sent to another team and city.
Holiday’s wife, Lauren, shared a message Wednesday in an Instagram post detailing the impact of the sudden trade on her family.
Lauren Holiday said she was sharing the message not for “sympathy,” but in order for people to see the “humans behind the business transactions.”
Jrue Holiday and Lauren Holiday arrive on the red carpet before the ESPYs at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on July 12, 2023. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
“Our daughter started 1st grade a month ago. Our son started preschool,” Lauren Holiday wrote in part. “Our kids go to school with other Bucks children. Their dads walk them in and walk them out together. The other women on the Bucks have been my workout partners, my confidants, and my support system. We have had Bible studies, retreats and shared so many laughs and tears. Not to mention the relationships we have built through our church, our community, and our JLH grantees. All of this is personal to us. It’s our life. There’s no business to any of that.”
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“On Wednesday, my husband took a nap. He woke up to news that he had been moved. No warning, no heads up, not even a conversation that it could be a possibility. Just, it’s done. Now move on because ‘it’s not personal, it’s business.’
“I’m not sharing this to say we are entitled to anything. I’m sharing this to say we are human beings whose kids develop friendships with other kids in our community, we are people who value family and friendships and invest in the cities we play in. We don’t just take from the city we play in, we give to the city we play in and we give our all.”
Lauren Holiday is quite familiar with the life of a professional athlete, retiring from professional soccer in 2015. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in May.
Jrue Holiday poses at his introductory press conference with Boston Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck, center, and Stephen Pagliuca. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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“So, yes, this is more than business,” Lauren’s message continued. “Not because we’re offended by it but, because we are people, we’re humans, we have relationships, dreams and a connection to where we play.
“As I write this, we are grieving the loss of that while celebrating the hope and the joy of what’s ahead. The growth is in allowing ourselves to feel this pain now and turn it into power for how we move forward. That’s who we are and that’s who we always will be.”
Jrue Holiday will make his regular season Boston debut against the New York Knicks on Oct. 25.
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