The New York Knicks are known to be on the lookout for a backcourt upgrade ahead of the trade deadline. With the need to bolster their defensive and playmaking depth, the Knicks are reported to have an interest in acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Knicks’ interest in Jrue Holiday was reported by NBA insider Marc Stein, who wrote:
“Another concept that keeps coming up: Rumbles that the Knicks have explored pathways to try to acquire Portland’s Jrue Holiday. There are at least two clear reasons why New York would have interest in a player who helped both Milwaukee and Boston win championships this decade: 1) The presumption that acquiring Holiday — if there’s a way — would make the Knicks an even more attractive destination to Holiday’s former Bucks teammate Antetokounmpo; 2) New York is believed to hold a longstanding fondness for Holiday as a potential backcourt complement to Jalen Brunson.”
The reasons for New York’s pursuit of Jrue Holiday, as cited by Stein, are quite interesting.
The Knicks’ long-standing links with Giannis Antetokounmpo have been well-documented. Although Antetokounmpo has expressed a desire to remain in Milwaukee for the remainder of his NBA career, given the direction the franchise is heading in, the consensus is that he will eventually facilitate a trade.
New York is positioned to be a solid landing spot for the superstar, who has shown an interest in playing in a bigger market. To make the idea of joining the Knicks more appealing, acquiring his former teammate could be an intriguing strategy.
Aside from this approach, the acquisition of an experienced player like Jrue Holiday also has major upside for the Knicks. Holiday is an elite defender with reliable scoring abilities.
Although he’s struggled with injuries this season, resulting in only 18 appearances, he is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.0% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.
Given New York’s title aspirations, making a run at acquiring Holiday may prove worthwhile.
How Can The Knicks Acquire Jrue Holiday?
The task of acquiring Jrue Holiday will prove to be quite difficult for the Knicks for a variety of reasons.
For starters, the Knicks are already deep in luxury tax territory. Given that they are only below the second apron by roughly $150,000, New York would have to give up some significant pieces to absorb Holiday’s $32.4 million cap hit.
On this note, a potential trade proposal for Holiday could include Mikal Bridges, Guerschon Yabusele, and Pacome Dadiet, along with a protected first-round pick.
Although parting with Yabusele and Dadiet is largely in the Knicks’ best interests, moving Bridges may not be on the table for New York, especially considering how valuable he has been for the team.
An alternative approach may require the Knicks to formulate a package centered around Josh Hart, potentially including Miles McBride, Yabusele, Dadiet, and a first-round pick. Though this scenario would help New York maintain its core, the deal may be less favorable for the Blazers, who may not be as inclined to acquire Hart again.
Instead of Yabusele and Dadiet, the Blazers may be more inclined to acquire Mitchell Robinson‘s $12.9 million expiring contract to gain cap flexibility in the offseason. Should the Blazers be open to packaging Holiday with another big man, such as Duop Reath, the Knicks may show more interest in making this deal.
Overall, the avenues to acquire Holiday without a core shakeup are quite limited. If the Knicks are only looking at making roster upgrades, they may be better served by shifting their attention toward low-cost role players who can contribute off the bench.
