With trade season in full swing, the Portland Trail Blazers have remained relatively quiet as they consider ways to improve their roster for the 2020-21 season.
Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic make up a very talented trio that, on paper, should be able to compete with anyone in the West. Yet — the failures of the roster seems to be a continuing trend, and it might very well be in their best interest to make a notable trade before the start of the next campaign.
Which is why some reports have Rip City mulling a potential deal for two-way guard Jrue Holiday
The Portland Trailblazers could express trade interest in Jrue Holiday, according to @KevinOConnorNBA. pic.twitter.com/2VYJTEGXZw
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 14, 2020
It should be noted that while O’Connor confirmed interest in this deal from Portland, he also called it “unlikely.”
I appreciate you sharing this but the context matters: Portland has already expressed interest but as I said on the podcast it’s highly unlikely anything happens. They don’t have the pieces that other teams do. It does, however, illustrate their intentions to bolster that teams.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 14, 2020
In Portland, Jrue would bolster a defense that desperately needs reinforcements. His two-sided game would be a nice addition alongside an already potent offensive team.
Unfortunately, as O’Connor pointed out, the Blazers don’t have much wiggle room to acquire a big-name player. If they want a guy like Jrue, they’ll likely have to be willing to part with at least one member of their esteemed core of guys.
For Holiday, it’s no secret he is drawing interest from teams all around the league. Reports have indicated interest from Boston, LA, Miami, and Denver.
The 1x All-Star averaged 19 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game on 45.5% shooting last season.
