The Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns struck up the blockbuster trade of the summer on Wednesday, with Damian Lillard heading to the land of lakes and cheese to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Meanwhile, the Blazers received Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and future draft capital for their troubles.
Ayton, the former No. 1 pick, is expected to anchor the Blazers' frontcourt at 25 years old. The 33-year-old Holiday, however, doesn't fit the timeline. He's a tremendous player, multi-faceted on offense and beyond reproach on defense. He would help Portland, but the Blazers want to rebuild and Holiday carries trade value of his own.
The expectation is that Portland trades Holiday before media day and training camp gets underway league-wide in a few days. It could get dicey with Portland's stubborn negotiating tactics, but Holiday won't carry quite the same sentimental importance to the Blazers' front office as Lillard did. He's a tier or two below Lillard on the trade value spectrum, but he's the exact piece every contender is looking for.
Holiday might be the best defensive guard in the NBA. He also averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists as the lead ball-handler for the No. 1 seed in the East. We already know the list of suspected suitors — LA Clippers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.
Now, let's go off-script. These teams aren't in the Holiday mix, but probably should be.
No. 3 outside-the-box Jrue Holiday trade suitor: Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves sought a short-term upgrade at point guard last season when D'Angelo Russell was dealt for Mike Conley. The results were mostly positive, but Conley is 35 years old with precious few starter-level seasons left in the tank. Holiday is only two years younger, but he should give the Wolves a few more seasons of All-Star impact if Minnesota takes the plunge.
It's a great fit for all parties. Holiday gets to join a team ready to contend with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves desperately need a leadership voice, a true adult in the room. That's Holiday. He's a great human and a quality teammate.
Edwards has emerged as the undisputed alpha in Minnesota, but Holiday can help mask a few of the former No. 1 pick's shortcomings on offense. Edwards is a twitchy ball-handler with impressive strength and explosiveness barreling toward the rim, but he's not exceptionally gifted at creating for others — not yet, at least. Holiday is an elite table-setter who can ease Edwards' halfcourt burden while also placing the UGA product in positions to succeed. Holiday ranks near the top of the NBA in assists every year; he's far above the median when it comes to helping teammates.
The defensive upside is what really pushes this into must-do territory for Minnesota. Holiday alone can change the calculus of opposing offenses with his sticky on-ball defense and tireless screen navigation. Add Edwards' burgeoning two-way impact, along with the NBA's best rim protector in Rudy Gobert and one of the NBA's top wing defenders in Jaden McDaniels, and the Wolves suddenly profile as a defensive juggernaut.
No. 2 outside-the-box Jrue Holiday trade suitor: Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings' inability to get stops was a huge storyline in the postseason. After a magical regular season to claim the No. 3 seed in the West, the Kings' explosive offense could not overcome a porous defense. Sacramento is very close to contention, but last season made it difficult to buy them as a legitimate title threat.
Not much has changed in terms of roster construction this summer. The Kings re-signed Harrison Barnes and invested in more perimeter shooters. The offense should be right back to humming when the new season begins, but the defense is set up for failure once again. That is, unless the Kings swing big for reinforcements.
Holiday isn't the cleanest fit, but he would certainly improve the Kings' capacity for stops on the perimeter. Any Domantas Sabonis team has a limited defensive ceiling — Sacramento's lack of rim protection is the root cause of last season's woes — but the perimeter defense was, more often than not, problematic. Kevin Huerter is a solid wing defender and Davion Mitchell does his best Baby Jrue impression off the bench, but the Kings lack a starter who is dedicated to getting stops.
Holiday would immediately handle Sacramento's high-leverage matchups while taking a burden off De'Aaron Fox in the backcourt. Holiday's offensive fit is less pristine, but he can work out of two-man actions with Sabonis or spend time off the ball as a spacer and slasher while Fox sets the table. Fox and Tyrese Haliburton never quite figured out the two-point guard setup, but Holiday is a different player at a different stage of his career. He would help the Kings take a step in the right direction.
No. 1 outside-the-box Jrue Holiday trade suitor: Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz were frequently mentioned as a team to watch in the Tyler Herro sweepstakes, but Lillard went to Milwaukee. Instead, Holiday is the guard piquing the interest of trade candidates around the league. Utah shouldn't hang up the phone just yet.
On the surface, the Jazz are a strange fit. The timeline for Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and No. 9 pick Taylor Hendricks doesn't exactly align with 33-year-old Holiday. The Jazz were a lottery team last season after a blatant deadline tank job from Danny Ainge and the front office. There's no reason to believe the Jazz are itching to win a ton of games in 2024.
This is Danny Ainge we are talking about, however, and it's fair to say the Jazz will make the leap to contention when a window opens. Holiday has such a window. He might not carry Utah to the promised land, but he's a borderline top-30 NBA player who would address Utah's shaky perimeter defense while solving the no-point guard issue.
Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George — the Jazz are not short on guards. The Jazz are short on point guards. Even with the improvement Clarkson made last season, the Jazz would benefit from Holiday's proclivity for playmaking. He's comfortable poking around the teeth of the defense and creating for others. That, combined with his defense, would take the Jazz to another level.
Utah was on track for a postseason berth before the trade deadline. Lauri Markkanen looks the part of a franchise cornerstone and Kessler is already on the shortlist of best rim protectors in the NBA. Add Holiday to the mix — along with John Collins in prove-it mode and a couple very talented prospects in Hendricks and George — and suddenly the Jazz are knocking forcefully on the postseason door.