The Blazers long-awaited deal sending Damian Lillard out of town initially appeared to be an early win for the franchise. But after their latest move, sending guard Jrue Holiday to the Celtics, it essentially cements them as one of the big winners in this deal — regardless of how things with Lillard and the Bucks pan out.
While the initial deal brought Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday, a first-round draft picks and two pick swaps to Portland, the team wasted little time flipping Holiday in another deal for even more assets.
Sunday’s trade, which sends Holiday to Boston in exchange for guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams, a 2024 first-round pick from the Warriors and a 2029 unprotected pick from Boston to Portland, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, marks a huge haul to add to the long list of players/picks received for Lillard.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed, the Blazers have added multiple players capable of stepping into starting roles, along with three first-round picks and two pick swaps over the span of just days in exchange for Lillard.
- Deandre Ayton
- Malcolm Brogdon
- Robert Williams
- 2024 Warriors first-round pick (top 4 protected)
- 2028 Bucks pick swap
- 2029 Bucks first-round pick
- 2029 Celtics first-round pick
- 2030 Bucks pick swap
The loss of their long-time star is obviously a blow, but adding two big men (a major area of need for Portland) along with a talented guard in Brogdon and a plethora of picks and pick swaps is a massive win for the Blazers.
