On Sept. 27, the Milwaukee Bucks shook the NBA landscape by acquiring Damian Lillard in a three-team trade. Jrue Holiday was part of that deal and he is expected to be re-routed by the Portland Trail Blazers. Multiple contending teams will be interested in Holiday; his gritty defense and versatile scoring ability make him a solid fit alongside most star players.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Golden State Warriors could enter the mix to acquire the veteran guard and have the necessary assets to make an enticing offer to Portland. However, Windhorst noted Golden State would likely need to move on from Chris Paul before ever seeing how that experiment would pan out.
“Even the Warriors, who have interesting young players on their roster, plus a few far-out draft picks and swaps when Stephen Curry might be retired, could join the race (to trade for Holiday),” Windhorst wrote. “Provided they’d be willing to re-trade Chris Paul, who members of the organization have praised for his offseason work of trying to fit in … Curry’s never had a backcourt teammate such as Paul, but he’s also never had a teammate with Holiday’s skill set, and he’s five years younger.”
Holiday is under contract for the upcoming season and has a player option for the 2024-25 season worth $37.6 million. Holiday could be an ideal fit between Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and has NBA championship experience.
However, the need to move on from Paul so soon may be a stumbling block the Warriors are unwilling to overcome.
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