The Blazers agreed to deal 26-year-old guard Anfernee Simons to the Celtics earlier this week, and the reasoning for the deal on Boston's side of the trade was about as clear as it gets. The Celtics were looking at one of the largest repeater tax bills in NBA history if they did not reduce salary on their 2024 title core.

The Boston Celtics are trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks in the first major trade since the end of the NBA Finals. It's a fairly rare trade in that the recent champion Celtics are giving away the well-known veteran while the younger rebuilding team is giving away young talent in a win-now effort.

The Boston Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Why did they do that? What could be next? Here's an explainer.