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[Saba Sports News] The Boston Celtics made a couple of major trades last year that transformed them into a championship team. The acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were pivotal, and Jayson Tatum acknowledges their impact.
Tatum appeared on “The Old Man & The Three” podcast, where he discussed his reaction to the October 2023 trade for Holiday.
“At first I was like, ‘I can’t believe Milwaukee let this happen.’ So thanks to the Bucks,” Tatum said.
He expressed confidence in the team’s championship prospects after the trade.
“I knew we had a really good chance. To win a championship, a lot of things have to go right. You have to stay healthy, you have to be on the same page. People have to get along. There’s a little bit of luck involved … I knew what kind of player and person Jrue was. I knew it was going to make our team better,” Tatum said.
“When we got Jrue, I was pretty confident about what we could accomplish.”
Tatum’s remark about thanking the Bucks for their mistake drew significant attention. Milwaukee, which had won a championship with Holiday as their point guard, traded him to Portland in late September as part of a three-team deal that brought Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. A few days later, the rebuilding Blazers sent Holiday to Boston, bolstering one of Milwaukee’s biggest competitors in the East.
As Tatum noted, it’s surprising Milwaukee allowed that to happen, even if they didn’t directly trade Holiday to Boston.
You can listen to the clip, but beware of some strong language.