UCLA Men's Basketball: How 2-Time MVP Feels About Jrue Holiday Celtics Trade

The All-Defensive guard is en route to his former arch rival.

When it was announced that former UCLA Bruins point guard Jrue Holiday was being shipped over to the Boston Celtics, it was met with some bittersweet feelings. Of course, UCLA fans still root for Holiday to have success, but now he would be playing for an arch-rival for many of them.

But Holiday is with the Celtics now, and they look like one of the best teams in the NBA. He gives them a true point guard to run their team, which is something that they have been searching for over the last few years.

When the Milwaukee Bucks moved Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers, they likely didn't expect him to then be moved to their biggest threat in the East, but here we are. Now, Holiday will be facing off against Milwaukee this season, as opposed to for them. 

And this could make things very interesting in the Eastern Conference. He was a big piece to the Bucks when they won their NBA title in 2021, so losing him hasn't been easy on the players he formed bonds with.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo gave his thoughts on the situation, and what Holiday moving on means.

“We’re definitely going to miss him… He’s always going to be a champion forever. He’s always going to be my friend, the best person I’ve ever met,”

Per Giannis Antetokounmpo

This is big of Antetokounmpo, and he understands the bigger picture. While he lost Holiday on his team, he gained an All-Star point guard in Damian Lillard.

The biggest part of the Bucks that will be missed is the defensive ability of Holiday. He is still one of the best defensive guards in the entire NBA, and he can make life rough for opposing teams. 

Antetokounmpo, on Jrue Holiday: "We're definitely going to miss him... He's always going to be a champion forever. He's always going to be my friend, the best person I've ever met."

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) October 2, 2023

The former Bruins point guard should be in for a great year in Boston, and he will be competing for another NBA championship. Fans will root for his success but may find it hard to root for the overall success of the team he is playing on this year.

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