The Portland Trail Blazers aren't done dealing yet. With Damian Lillard officially a Milwaukee Buck, the Blazers will now aim their efforts toward trading Jrue Holiday to one of several eager contenders. From the looks of it, every heavy-hitter with enough wiggle room wants in on the action, so Portland should have no shortage of options.
The expected starting price is two first-round picks, but as Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports, the nature of the market could drive the price even higher. Portland should have no trouble blowing Miami's purported offer out of the water and silencing that argument for good.
Holiday is a player who most teams should want. He's a tremendous human being, first and foremost, but he also impacts winning at a high level. It's no coincidence that Milwaukee's title run in 2021 came after trading for Holiday. His defense on the perimeter is unmatched, but he's more than competent on the offensive end too. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists as the Bucks' lead ball-handler last season.
With a scalable offensive skill set and the ability to swing momentum with his lockdown defense, Holiday is a true NBA star — probably one of the most underrated All-Star level players of his generation. The price is high.
These trade packages make sense — for the Blazers, for Holiday, and for the teams receiving Holiday.
No. 5 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have been floated as a potential Jrue Holiday suitor, with Chris Paul's contract serving as the foundation for any realistic deal. It would be quite comical (if a little tough on CP) for this whole summer of reconciliation and coming to terms with Golden State to end with another trade before he even gets a chance to play with Steph or Draymond.
Portland has no real use for Paul. Either the Blazers can look to swing another trade, or simply waive (and maybe stretch) Paul to clear the books. CP3 would get to sign with the Lakers (or, god forbid, the Suns) and the Blazers would have Jonathan Kuminga, an interesting second-round pick in Trayce Jackson-Davis, and a future pick to further complement the rebuild.
Kuminga is the obvious prize. The former No. 7 pick has flashed serious upside with Golden State, but the Warriors' win-now mandate has gotten in the way of his development on more than one occasion. He doesn't have the full trust of Steve Kerr and one has to imagine he would benefit from a long runway in Portland.
At 6-foot-8, Kuminga is a monster athlete — strong for his age with the ability to explode and elevate around the rim. He's still cleaning up the periphery of his skill set, but Kuminga is a potentially dominant slasher and at-rim finisher who can toggle between power forward or small-ball five. Put him in the Blazers' stew of young athletes and you're cooking with grease.
The dunks between Kuminga, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe would be enough to get the fanbase through a 30-win season.
No. 4 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have danced around a James Harden trade all summer, but there's a clear reluctance to shell out high-value assets for a 34-year-old point guard with Harden's track record of postseason blunders and unceremonious departures.
Holiday is only one year younger than Harden, but he carries none of the baggage. He's a grade-A person who every former teammate loves. He commits day-in and day-out, never taking a possession off defensively and letting his frustrations leak to the media. Holiday has a championship on his resume, the respect of his peers, and a baseline reliability Harden cannot claim to match. If the Clippers decide Holiday is the better of the two options, no one would blame them.
Los Angeles doesn't have much to offer on the prospect front, so it will require three managable veteran contracts and a couple future firsts. Terance Mann has been a reported hang-up in James Harden conversations, but Holiday is (again) more reliable and, let's be frank, Mann is not that special. He would make for a nice rotation cog in Portland — a versatile defender who can connect dots offensively with his playmaking acumen — but he's not the player you cut ties with Jrue Holiday over.
Norman Powell has been around the block in Portland before. He has the resume to net them another first-round pick in a future trade, or he could simply step into his classic sixth man role to mentor a young group. Robert Covington is trade bait too, but he's a useful help-side defender and floor spacer in the interim.
The Clippers add Holiday to the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George core. He doesn't make the Clippers any younger, but Holiday strengthens the defense while providing a much-needed dose of reliable playmaking at the point guard position. With all due respect to Russell Westbrook, he's better off in a sixth man role while Holiday mans the steering wheel.
No. 3 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Philadelphia 76ers
The window for the Philadelphia 76ers to send James Harden to the Clippers (in a deal not involving Terance Mann) just re-opened. If the Clippers still decide to bet on the talent and superior offense of Harden, then it's not hard to hammer out the details of a trade that lands Harden in LA, Holiday in Philadelphia, and a suitable collection of spare parts and picks in Portland.
Holiday is a definite downgrade for the Sixers, but Daryl Morey is stuck between a rock and a hard place — whether he wants to admit it or not. Harden can't afford to dilly dally with a holdout all season, but he's under no obligation to play his best basketball until he's in new threads. He's also in the final year of his contract, so there's less flexibility than the Ben Simmons holdout a couple years ago.
The Sixers would no doubt value Holiday's defense next to a more offensively-inclined Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt. Complex defensive schemes and stops serve as the foundation for any Nurse team. Letting Holiday roam the perimeter while Joel Embiid anchors the paint is a quality bedrock.
What is perhaps most important is Holiday's lack of dramatic flare. After several tabloid-style breakups with previous stars (Simmons, Butler, Horford, Harden...) it's time for the Sixers to get a player who appreciates the city and doesn't sow discord in the locker room. Holiday is widely beloved and universally respected. The Sixers need that dude in their organization (again).
The Blazers get a couple juicy down-the-road picks from old-ish contenders, as well as a couple movable contracts and Jaden Springer, a former first-round pick due for the NBA training wheels to come off shortly. This is a win-win-win.
No. 2 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were on the doorstep of history in the Eastern Conference Finals, coming back from down 0-3, only to get ousted in Game 7 by the spunky Miami Heat. It was a disappointing finish for a disappointing team. A team built to win, but drowning in self-inflicted wounds.
Credit to Brad Stevens and the front office for going out and trying to get better. A midsummer trade for Kristaps Porzingis, involving former Boston heart and soul Marcus Smart, has the Celtics retooled for another deep run. There is, however, a question of depth at point guard. Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon are both talented, but the Celtics could use a proper facilitator in the starting five.
Holiday is not without his offensive shortcomings — he's prone to some troubling cold spells as a shooter — but he's a tremendous table-setter, averaging 7.3 assists to 2.9 turnovers as the primary ball-handler for the No. 1 seed in the East last season. Holiday doesn't operate with the breathtaking flare of your traditional high-assist man, but he consistently makes the right read and plays a selfless, team-first brand of basketball.
The Celtics would benefit from Holiday's level-headedness in the halfcourt offense. Not to mention the defense, an area in sore need of reinforcements in lieu of Smart. Holiday is one of the few guards who can challenge Smart pound-for-pound. He's equally menacing at the point of attack (if a little less versatile) and would pair beautifully with Boston's unmatched defensive personnel.
Boston has to play catch-up after the Dame trade. The whole East does. This is the quickest and surest way to reaffirm Boston's title aspirations while potentially getting a leg-up on Milwaukee with the league's top Dame deterrent.
For Portland, Brogdon and Williams both carry trade value of their own. Williams could fit the timeline as a quality backup to Deandre Ayton (or potential experimental running mate), while two first-round picks next year is enough sweetener to get Portland on the phone.
No. 1 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Miami Heat
The Portland Trail Blazers clearly did not negotiate in good faith when it came to the Miami Heat's pursuit of Damian Lillard. Should that prevent the Heat from picking up the phone and making a strong push for Holiday? No, it should not. One has to imagine Joe Cronin's phone lines will be more open this time around.
Miami runs the risk of getting left in the dust after last season's Finals appearance. The Heat were the No. 8 seed for a reason. A remarkable (and statistically improbable) hot streak from 3-point range brought them to the precipice of history, but that probably won't happen again. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are a proven competitive core, but the Heat's roster simply does not stack up on paper right now.
Holiday would be a step in the right direction. He's the perfect Heat player — hard work ethic, two-way player, scalable skill set. Miami's point guard depth is paper thin after Gabe Vincent left for Los Angeles in free agency. Holiday is more than servicable as a fill-in, giving the Heat another halfcourt creator to stagger with Butler. He's not the elite shooter Miami probably desires (sorry about Dame, y'all), but Holiday makes up for it with reliability and defense.
The Heat are an elite defensive team when humming properly. There aren't many better "two-way" stars than Butler and Adebayo. The latter has a real case for 'Best Defender in the NBA'; Butler is a premium perimeter stopper when he puts his mind to it, blessed with the reactive instincts of a martial artist and the dog mentality of a kid from Tomball, Texas. Miami would have a tremendous apparatus for stops, blessed with the ability to switch every screen and punish every ball-handler.
Miami needs to get back on the map. Holiday isn't the prize Pat Riley and the front office wanted, but he's a genuine get — and the level of player who would force Eastern Conference contenders to once again heed the Heat's presence in a crowded field.