Seconds after we all got over the massive shock brought about by the Damian Lillard–to–Milwaukee news, the next logical question hovering over the NBA title conversation became crystal clear: Which contending team will land All-NBA defender Jrue Holiday?
Portland has him for now, but with the Blazers being on the front end of a rebuild—and having just drafted floor general Scott Henderson—they almost certainly won’t keep the 33-year-old. (If they do, it’d only be until the trade deadline, in hopes of building a bigger trade market for him.)
With just days to go before NBA training camps open, any number of clubs could use an ace-level defender with a ring to his credit. So we wrote up the six clubs who could benefit most by trading for Holiday’s services now that he’s likely to be on the move again.
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Clippers
Think all the way back to the beginning of the offseason, when Kristaps Porzingis was first reported to be headed to Boston in a three-team deal involving the Wizards and, yes, the Clippers. Los Angeles was initially set to receive Malcolm Brogdon, a ballhandler who would have alleviated some of the playmaking responsibility on Russell Westbrook.
But that fell through when the Clippers reportedly had concerns about Brogdon’s health. (And in turn, the Celtics completed the deal for Porzingis by surprisingly trading former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart instead.) We’ve heard Los Angeles mentioned in connection with the disgruntled James Harden, but Holiday would potentially make far more sense—both because there are no motivation questions with a competitive dog like Holiday, and because he’s a far superior two-way player. The Clippers would also become less iso heavy than they would by getting Holiday to join Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as opposed to someone like Harden.
Knicks
If you think, rightfully, that wing Josh Hart and coach Tom Thibodeau were a match made in basketball heaven, you’d likely get the exact same outcome if Holiday were to join New York anytime soon. He’s a rugged, hard-nosed defender who’s willing and able to take on the opponent’s best scorer, whether that player be Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. He’d be perfect alongside someone like guard Jalen Brunson, who’s shown to be a dynamite scorer, but is undersized and not the quickest laterally from a defensive perspective. Having Holiday, who quietly excels as an off-ball cutter, would also diversify the club’s iso-heavy offense a bit. There’s no question the Knicks would have the assets to pull off such a deal. And with Giannis Antetokounmpo presumably less likely to be a trade target in the near future now, New York may feel a bit more willing to strike for a key piece soon in order to take the next step.
Pelicans
Would it really make sense for Holiday’s last team to make a play for him?
Absolutely. New Orleans, in what seems to be a pivotal year for the often-snakebitten club, has assets. The Pels have arguably the deepest rotation in the league. But their point guard rotation, with Jose Alvarado, Dyson Daniels and Kira Lewis Jr., is quite young. Having an established player at point guard would lessen the ballhandling burden on someone like CJ McCollum while also giving needed breathers to someone like Brandon Ingram. Pick-and-rolls between Holiday and Zion Williamson would also likely be a sight to behold. Also: Can you imagine how annoying a Pelicans defense would be with both Holiday and Alvarado picking up their counterparts fullcourt? Sheesh.
Sixers
Holiday’s other former team, Philadelphia, would be an obvious landing spot for him. We know Daryl Morey and the Sixers would prefer to move on from the distraction that is James Harden if they could find a good enough return for him. It’s clear the rebuilding Blazers wouldn’t be a logical home for Harden, but expanding a deal further—to send Harden to the Clippers, or possibly to Miami—could yield the Sixers Holiday.
If Holiday was to land with Philly, in some ways it’d be a similar scenario to the one he’s leaving behind in Milwaukee: He’d have another MVP-caliber teammate in Joel Embiid and another All-Star caliber wing in Tyrese Maxey.
Heat
So the first set of trade proposals with Portland didn’t pan out, but perhaps the Blazers might be a bit more willing to hear out overtures involving Tyler Herro this time around?
We wouldn’t bet on that, necessarily. If Portland didn’t want him and his contract before, chances are the club won’t want it now either, even for a lesser star. That shouldn’t stop the Heat from figuring out what it would take to facilitate a deal. In free agency, they lost Gabe Vincent (and wing Max Strus), who initiated a decent amount of their offense last postseason. Beyond that, Kyle Lowry will turn 38 before next postseason. And Jimmy Butler, for all his playoff magic, can’t perform the way he does come April, May and June if you wear him down with too much regular-season ballhandling.
Holiday wouldn’t make up for losing out on Lillard—especially when he made it clear that Miami was his preferred destination—but it would give the Heat another floor general at a time when the club can really use one after watching considerable talent walk out this summer.
Timberwolves
Minnesota, one year removed from the huge trade for Rudy Gobert, will be under pressure to yield results after a frustrating campaign in which Karl-Anthony Towns was injured and the club nabbed the eighth and final playoff spot out West. The Wolves dealt D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers and brought over Mike Conley—a more sound, reliable vet—at the deadline. (He turns 36 in two weeks.) There aren’t many draft picks left to deal at this point. But would Minnesota see wisdom in trying to cobble together some of its remaining assets for someone like Holiday to play alongside Towns, Gobert and Anthony Edwards? In doing so, the team would have arguably the best point-of-attack defender and the best rim protector in the sport. Jaden McDaniels is among the NBA’s best wing defenders. But he’s also the exact sort of young, talented player Portland would want in a deal, since Minnesota lacks draft capital to send over.
