Are the Celtics the Favorite in the East After the Jrue Holiday Trade?

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Jrue Holiday was recently traded to the Boston Celtics for Malcom Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and two future first round picks. This trade gives the Celtics another allstar to add to their core and gives them a stronger team to match up with against the Milwaukee Bucks. The eastern conference finals is going to be very entertaining this year but the question remains of who will come out on top.

This trade for the Celtics certainly gives them more star power, but it also hurts their depth quite a bit. The Celtics lost two key rotation players in Brogdon and Robert Williams making their bench much weaker. The only consistently solid player remaining off the bench for Boston is Derrick White. Adding Jrue Holiday will certainly help when it comes to guarding Damian Lillard, however without Robert Williams guarding the paint will be much more of a challenge. While Porzingis isn’t a bad defender per se, he is by no means an elite defender. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will have an easier time getting in the paint which may mean trouble for the Celtics. In the end, the Bucks have more of a superstar team and more depth which gives the Bucks the extra edge and makes them the favorites in the east.