• Jrue Holiday was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that saw the Bucks land Damian Lillard
• Holiday won the title with the Bucks in his first season with the franchise
• He had expressed a desire to retire with the Bucks in an interview yesterday
Jrue Holiday’s three-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks has come to an end. After the team sent away most of their future trade assets to the Pelicans for him and he rewarded the decision with a title, he’s now been moved to get a superstar offensive player like Damian Lillard on the roster.
What’s heartbreaking about this deal is that Holiday had given an interview to the Milwaukee Sentinel yesterday where he expressed his desire to retire with the Bucks and stay there for the rest of his life.
“Before I even won here, I think I said I’m a Buck for life, and I mean that like deep in my heart. I don’t want to play for any other team. I think we have a chance to continue to do great things as the Bucks team and organization, so I want to be in Milwaukee,”
Jrue Holiday really said this yesterday 😢
(via @JimOwczarski, @journalsentinel) pic.twitter.com/kC6AP21zKH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 27, 2023
Holiday is easily one of the most respected players in the NBA and people will feel for him. It’ll be interesting to see what the Blazers do with Holiday on their roster. There is little on-court use for a winning player like him as the Blazers hit a rebuild with Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons as their guard options.
Should The Blazers Trade Jrue Holiday Or Keep Him As A Mentor?
Jrue Holiday is one of the most highly-respected players in the NBA and has a lot of value. The Bucks wanted to get Damian Lillard without giving up multiple picks and they did exactly that based on the value that Holiday provided. It’s tempting for the Blazers to cash in that value by trading Holiday away and getting the draft assets they, unfortunately, couldn’t get for Lillard.
But Holiday doesn’t have many years left on his contract, with a player option at the end of next season. Scoot Henderson is a very talented point guard that the Blazers could build around, but having someone like Holiday around to mentor him might be what the Blazers need. You can’t suddenly go fully young and expect a rebuild to just happen. As the Rockets have shown, it’s important to have respected veteran voices in a young locker room.
But with Holiday averaging 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists last season and providing really strong two-way play, it’ll be hard for the Blazers to give their guard trio of Scoot, Sharpe, and Simons enough time on the court while incorporating Holiday in as well. It’ll be best if they maximize value and send Holiday to a situation where he can contend for a title.
Where Does Jrue Holiday End Up?
Jrue Holiday has become the biggest possible trade piece available on the market. Yes, we know James Harden is still available, but any contending team in the NBA would prefer if Holiday is their team’s No. 2 or 3 option instead of Harden. That isn’t disrespectful but because Holiday has the skillset of the perfect two-way co-star who won’t need the ball at all times, but will lock up the opposing team’s best player every game.
The 76ers could even look to possibly making a Harden trade come true by acquiring Holiday. If the 76ers, Blazers, and Clippers could come up with a three-team deal that sends Holiday to Philly and Harden to the Clippers, Daryl Morey would likely jump on that deal.
The Clippers themselves could be after Holiday, with the Boston Celtics also a possibility. Just matching salaries and offering one or two picks could get the deal done, and the Celtics are one of the few teams that need a starting guard like Holiday and have a surplus of draft assets.
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