Knicks once again stay patient as Jrue Holiday lands with Celtics

The Celtics landed one of the NBA’s top defenders on Sunday when they traded for Jrue Holiday.

The Bucks landed one of the NBA’s best lead guards earlier this week when they traded for Damian Lillard.

The Knicks? They’ll open the preseason with most of the same players from last year. That team won 47 regular-season games and a first-round playoff series. New York’s biggest moves this offseason were signing Donte DiVincenzo and trading Obi Toppin.

After the big trades this week, it’s logical to see the Bucks and Celtics as the two top teams in the Eastern Conference this season and beyond.

The Celtics will likely sign Holiday to a multiyear extension. So they will have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Holiday on the roster for at least the next two seasons.

The Bucks will have Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo for at least the next two seasons. And the trade bolstered their chances to keep Antetokounmpo in free agency in 2025.

Let’s assume everyone stays healthy; the East looks like a battle between Milwaukee and Boston over the next two seasons.

Both rosters have weak spots. The Bucks’ defense will likely suffer without Holiday. The Celtics’ front line will be vulnerable without Robert Williams. But even with those weaknesses, both teams seem to be a tier above the Knicks right now.

Knicks president Leon Rose has been cautious and patient in the trade market over the past three-and-a-half years. New York didn’t spend the picks and players it would have taken to get Donovan Mitchell last summer. The club also, obviously, wasn’t willing to surpass the Celtics’ package for Holiday. Boston sent Williams, Malcom Brogdon and a 2024 first-rounder owned by Golden State and a 2029 unprotected first to Portland, according to ESPN.

That’s a significant haul for Portland. Also, according to ESPN, Boston plans to extend Holiday.

As we noted on Friday, Holiday preferred to go to a team where he could win and potentially sign an extension. Boston checks both boxes.

“He wanted to go to a contender and they (took care) of him,” an opposing executive said Sunday.

The Knicks and Clippers were among the teams with known interest in Holiday entering the weekend. Clearly, New York wasn’t willing to surpass Boston’s offer. Whether that is the right or wrong move depends on what you think of the current roster.

But there’s little doubt that the Knicks’ goal (winning a title) is significantly harder after this week’s trades.

One small silver lining on Sunday for New York and other teams in the East? Philadelphia missed out on Holiday. So the Sixers will enter training camp with a disgruntled James Harden. They’ll also have a star player who seems unimpressed by his team’s offseason. Joel Embiid tweeted, "This offseason was fun lmao," shortly after the Holiday trade.

So the Sixers seem unstable at the moment. The Knicks are the picture of stability. Can the current roster improve on last season? That’s no easy task. Though not many people thought the Knicks would win 47 games and a first-round series at this time last year. It’s smart not to put a ceiling on Tom Thibodeau’s club in early October.

The ultimate goal here isn’t to win 49 or 50 games. It’s to win an NBA title. The Knicks under Rose have been patient and cautious on the trade market thus far. They passed on Mitchell and Holiday. They haven’t jumped at the chance to trade for Harden. Whether those decisions are right or wrong depends on your view of the current Knicks. But at some point, Rose and his group will have to push their chips in for a significant player.