The Boston Celtics made a couple of huge trades last year that helped them build what turned into a championship team. The acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were game-changers for the team and Jayson Tatum recognizes that.
Tatum appeared as a guest on “The Old Man & The Three” podcast for an episode that was released on Wednesday. The Celtics champion was asked what his reaction was when the team acquired Holiday in an October 2023 trade.
“At first I was like, ‘I can’t believe Milwaukee let this happen.’ So thanks to the Bucks,” Tatum said.
Tatum then said he felt his team had a good chance of winning a championship.
“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,” Tatum explained. “There’s a little bit of luck that’s involved … I knew what kind of player and person he was. I knew it was going to make our team better.”
“When we got Jrue, I was pretty confident about what we could accomplish,” the Celtics star added.
Tatum saying thanking the Bucks for making such a big mistake is the part of the quote that captured most peoples’ attention. The Bucks already had a good team and had won a championship with Holiday serving as the team’s point guard. But they dealt him to the Portland Trailblazers in late September as part of a three-team trade that brought Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. A few days later, the rebuilding Blazers sent Holiday to Boston, strengthening one of Milwaukee’s biggest competitors in the East.
Like Tatum said, it’s difficult to believe Milwaukee let that happen, even if the Bucks didn’t directly trade Holiday to Boston.
You can listen to the clip but beware of some bad language.