As an aging player with a high salary, Jrue Holiday has been viewed as a potential trade candidate during what could be a busy offseason of roster movement for the Celtics.
He hopes that isn't the case.
The veteran guard said in his end-of-season news conference that he wants to remain with Boston -- and that he still believes the Celtics can contend for a championship next season, even with star player Jayson Tatum expected to miss a large portion of the season following Achilles surgery.
"I think we still have a really, really great opportunity and a great window to win a championship again," Holiday said Saturday. "I think the talent that we have on this team, not only on the court, but the coaching staff, all the way up to Brad (Stevens), has been amazing. So the opportunity to win is now, and I still want to be a part of that."
Holiday's arrival last offseason helped turn the Celtics from contenders into champions. His numbers dipped near career lows this season (11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game) as he dealt with finger, shoulder and hamstring injuries that caused him to miss 20 regular-season games and three playoff games.
"We had a pretty good regular season," Holiday said. "Obviously took care of our business there, 60-win season, had everybody fairly healthy. I went through a couple injuries here and there but did my best to prepare for it all season, and just felt like we fell short."
Though he still is widely regarded as one of the NBA's best and most versatile defenders, Holiday will be 35 when next season tips off and has three years remaining on his contract, all with salaries above $32 million. The Celtics are expected to make changes to their championship-winning roster this summer to cut payroll and attempt to avoid the worst of the NBA's prohibitive luxury tax penalties. As currently constructed, Boston's 2025-26 roster is projected to be the most expensive in NBA history between salaries and tax sanctions.
The Celtics posted the NBA's third-best record this season (61-21) but were upset by the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"I think that we had the best team in the league," Holiday said. "Obviously doing it last year, but the chemistry that we had, that we built from last season, even coming into this postseason and how we were feeling, I feel like we are disappointed in ourselves. We felt like we let the organization down and the city down."