76ers Planned to Pursue a Reunion With Former Guard?

According to a new ESPN report, the Philadelphia 76ers had interest in bringing in Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday. However, Holiday signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him in Boston.

Tyrese Maxey isn’t signed yet to an extension because Philadelphia has hopes of signing a star in free agency to add alongside him and Joel Embiid. There were designs on pursuing guard Jrue Holiday, sources told ESPN, but he signed an extension with the Boston Celtics.

Just before the 2023-24 season kicked off, the Milwaukee Bucks traded Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Immediately, reports suggested the 76ers had interest in trading for him. Ultimately, Portland flipped him to Boston instead.

Holiday began his career with the 76ers after the team drafted him with the No. 17 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The UCLA alum spent four seasons in Philadelphia and made it to an All-Star team in 2012-13. During his 76ers stint, Holiday averaged 13.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Sixers Planned to Pursue a Reunion With Former Guard?

Jrue Holiday Was Upset When Philadelphia Traded Him

The 76ers traded Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick (later became Elfrid Payton). At the time, Holiday was only 24 years old and coming off the best season of his career up to that point. In a recent interview on Draymond Green‘s podcast, The Draymond Green Show, Holiday opened up about his feelings after the trade.

“I didn’t know what to think. I just became an All-Star, I just signed an extension, and I thought I was one of the cornerstones or major pieces of 76ers basketball. Me, Evan Turner, Thad Young, were still there. … It was like damn.”

Holiday also seemed upset with the way the news broke to him.

“One of my college best friends in Orange County, we on our way to a [Los Angeles] Dodgers game and I got a call from Sam Hinkie. He’s like, ‘Hey man, I know we’ve never met, I heard great things about you, but we’re trading you to the New Orleans [Pelicans],” Holiday revealed.

“It was like a 30-second conversation. I never met him or talked to him before. At this point, I don’t even know what bro looks like. … Next thing you know, I get off the phone, and I’m like, ‘Hey, I just got traded.’ They’re like, ‘No, you didn’t.’ All right two seconds later, it pops up on the little screen is ‘ESPN: Jrue Holiday got traded [to Pelicans] for No. 6. pick [Noel]’,” Jrue added.

What’s Next for the Philadelphia 76ers After the Failed Jrue Holiday Pursuit?

With Holiday off the market, the Sixers must look elsewhere for a third star. After their Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks, reports suggested the 76ers are monitoring three big names in the offseason. Despite the team’s disappointing end to the season, there is a lot to look forward to in Philly. Tyrese Maxey enjoyed the best season of his career, and the 76ers have the second-highest projected cap space this offseason. The 76ers have not made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. To get over that hump, they need to look for another star to pair with Maxey and Joel Embiid. And chances are they will find that star sooner rather than later.