NBA trade rumors: Examining potential destinations for Jrue Holiday

After months of scrollingthrough countless Damian Lillard trade rumors, the news finally broke on Wednesdayafternoon that the Portland Trail Blazers' long-time franchisecornerstone was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks. In one of the moresurprising blockbuster trades in recent memory, the seven-timeAll-Star guard will pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one ofthe best duos in the league.

Now, the new big fish in thetrade market is none other than the player Lillard was dealt for:Jrue Holiday. The Blazers' return featured Holiday, former No. 1pick Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns second-rounder Toumani Camara, anunprotected Bucks 2029 first-rounder, and 2028 and 2030 first-roundpick swaps from Milwaukee. The circumstances of Lillard’s traderequest and his desire to be dealt specifically to the Miami Heatdampened his trade value, but the Blazers were able to come awaywith a “palatable” return.

However, Holiday is unlikely tostay in Portland for long as he does not fit their rebuildingtimeline around core players Scoot Henderson and ShaedonSharpe. ESPN’s Bobby Marks graded Portland’s trade return as “incomplete”pending the potential assets the team receives for Holiday whenthey flip him.

Many contending teams arereportedly rushing to the phones to make moves in reaction to theLillard blockbuster, with several expressing serious interest inHoliday. These possible suitors include the Philadelphia 76ers,Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Heat. Teams must factor inHoliday's potential free agency next summer and the possibility ofsigning him to a long-term extension, which he becomes eligible foron Feb. 22. Perhaps the Blazers will have some urgency to dealHoliday prior to Media Day on Oct. 2 in order to avoid questionsand logistics about bringing him in for trainingcamp.

For any team over the luxury-taxapron ($171,294,000) to trade for Holiday, they need to trade awayat least $33,175,536 (90% of Holiday’s 2023-24 salary) in salariesin order to legally execute a trade. The rest of the league willonly need to send out $27,646,280 (75% of Holiday’s 2023-24 salary)in order to make a deal.

Another important CBA note withany Holiday trade is that his $36,861,707 salary cannot beaggregated with other contracts for two months. While Holiday isstill eligible to be immediately rerouted elsewhere, he cannot betraded with other players. For example, just a few months back,Chris Paul was traded to the Washington Wizards and then quicklyrerouted in a separate deal to Golden State. Because Paul was theonly salary going back to the Warriors, he was legally allowed tobe traded. This must be taken into consideration when proposingpotential trade ideas.

With Holiday potentially on themove in the coming days, let’s take a look at some potential dealsfor the 33-year-old.

Realistic TradeDestinations

BOSTON CELTICS

Celtics receive: JrueHoliday

Trail Blazers receive:Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Dalano Banton (salary guaranteeincreased to $1,009,853 to satisfy trade rules), 2024 GSW top-4protected first-round pick, 2025 BOS first-round pick, 2026 BOSfirst-round pick swap, 2024 CHI/DAL/NO (most favorable)second-round pick, 2026 MIN/NO/NYK/POR (most favorable)second-round pick

By trading away Marcus Smartthis summer, the Celtics lost the key cog to their juggernautdefense. Despite not having a Defensive Player of the Year award,Holiday would probably serve as an upgrade to Smart on both theoffensive and defensive ends of the floor, helping the Celticscompete against the new-look Bucks in the East. If they wish toenter the Holiday sweepstakes, they would need to trade MalcolmBrogdon ($22,500,000), whom they were close to dealing to theClippers in July. Along with Brogdon, they would have to sacrificeeither Al Horford ($10,000,000) or Robert Williams III($11,571,429) to make the salaries work. They have all of their owndraft picks to trade as well as the Golden State Warriors' pick in2024, which they got from the Smart trade.

MIAMI HEAT

Heat receive: JrueHoliday

Trail Blazers receive: KyleLowry, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, 2027 MIA first-round pick,2029 MIA top-14 protected first-round pick, 2028 MIA first-roundpick swap, 2024 MIA top-50 protected second-round pick, 2026 LALsecond-round pick, 2027 HOU/IND/MIA/OKC/SA (least favorable)second-round pick

Missing out once again in theirpursuit of a star third option to pair with Jimmy Butler and BamAdebayo, Miami could use an upgrade like Holiday to their seeminglyincomplete roster. Holiday would provide a must-needed scoringpunch and would fit seamlessly in Miami’s hard-working culture.While their Lillard trade package was highlighted by Tyler Herro,they likely wouldn’t use him in any trade for Holiday. Their salarygoing out in a deal would come from Kyle Lowry’s expiring salary($29,682,540) and some combination of younger players like JaimeJaquez Jr. ($3,510,533), Nikola Jovic ($2,352,000) and HaywoodHighsmith ($1,902,137). While they are somewhat restricted in termsof draft assets, they can offer up to three first-round picks ifthey amend their 2025 first-round pick they owe the Oklahoma CityThunder. They have three second-rounders to offer aswell.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Knicks receive: JrueHoliday

Trail Blazers receive: RJBarrett, Reggie Bullock, Khem Birch, 2024 DAL top-10 protectedfirst-round pick, 2024 DET top-18 protected first-round pick, 2024WAS top-12 protected first-round pick

Spurs receive: EvanFournier, 2026 MEM top-42 protected second-round pick, 2027 NO/POR(less favorable) second-round pick

The Knicks may be holding outfor when the next superstar – i.e. Joel Embiid, Donovan Mitchell orGiannis Antetokounmpo (although maybe not anymore?) – asks for atrade. While New York may be focused on further down the line,acquiring a player like Holiday could allow them to boost theirroster right now without giving up enough capital to harm theirfuture superstar pursuits. A Knicks trade that would not harm theirtrove of draft assets would have to send out RJ Barrett($23,883,929), who potentially fits Portland’s rebuilding timeline.Jrue could line up as the team’s starting shooting guard alongsideJalen Brunson, while Josh Hart would play more minutes at smallforward to mitigate the loss of Barrett. Evan Fournier’s largesalary ($18,857,143) would also have to be in any deal for theKnicks to take in Holiday. Portland wouldn’t want to acquire bothFournier and Barrett as that would push them over the luxury tax,therefore they would likely route Fournier to another team (likeSan Antonio).

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Clippers receive: JrueHoliday

Trail Blazers receive:Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston(salary fully guaranteed), 2028 LAC first-round pick, 2030 LACfirst-round pick, 2029 LAC first-round pick swap

The Clippers may have been givenan olive branch with a player like Jrue Holiday becoming available,as he's an impact player at a price they can afford. It alsoprovides an alternative for the Clippers to land a third star whileavoiding the potential drama/issues that could come with acquiringa player like James Harden. The Clippers have a lot of high-salaryveterans they could use to get to Holiday’s number like NormanPowell ($18,000,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17,116,279), NicolasBatum ($11,710,818) and Robert Covington ($11,692,308). They wouldprobably like to keep Terance Mann, who they seem to not want toinclude in a potential Harden trade, although his $10,576,923 couldbe useful. Portland could view their unprotected picks in 2028 and2030 as some of the best draft assets they could receive due totheir aging stars and lack of postseason success.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

76ers receive: JrueHoliday

Clippers receive: JamesHarden, 2024 NYK second-round pick, 2029 PHI second-round pick,2030 PHI second-round pick

Trail Blazers receive:Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Jason Preston(salary fully guaranteed to satisfy trade rules), 2028 LACfirst-round pick, 2029 PHI first-round pick, 2029 LAC first-roundpick swap

Amidst the James Harden debacle,Daryl Morey has remained steadfast in getting a formidable returnif they choose to trade the disgruntled All-Star. A reunion withJrue Holiday, who played in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2013,certainly should get Morey and the Sixers' attention. Holiday wouldcertainly upgrade their defense while being a good support andinfluence on Tyrese Maxey. The Trail Blazers would have littleinterest in taking a direct package from Philadelphia, which wouldalmost certainly be headlined by Harden ($35,640,000). Harden'sdesired destination, the Clippers, should still be interested inacquiring him, but may be more interested in trading for Holidaydirectly. Portland would likely get a similar package to what theywould receive if they traded directly with the Clippers,potentially leaving Philadelphia out to dry. The Sixers would haveto incentivize the Clippers by trading some draft capital to takeHarden instead of Holiday.

HonorableMentions

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

The Warriors are a logicalHoliday destination in terms of fit and trade assets. A tradepackage would have to send the newly acquired Chris Paul back toPortland or a third team along with a young player like JonathanKuminga, Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski, plus a draft pick.Given that coach Steve Kerr has talked all summer about bringingPaul into the fold, it would be pretty surprising if the teampivoted from the future Hall-of-Famer just before training camp. Ifthe Warriors do choose to jump in the Holiday waters, they couldquickly move to the front of the line.

TORONTO RAPTORS

Toronto was considered thefavorite to acquire Lillard at one point, with a package that waslikely headlined by OG Anunoby and draft assets. In order toacquire Holiday, they would need to use a similar package, albeitwith less draft capital involved. It seems as though the Raptorswere being coy about potentially dealing Anunoby for Lillard,according to RyanWolstat of the Toronto Sun. If Masai Ujiri was unwilling to includeAnunoby in trade discussions before, it’s unlikely he will do sofor a player like Holiday.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Holiday would be a near perfectfit alongside Anthony Edwards in the Wolves' backcourt and wouldgreatly improve their defense. However, Minnesota simply doesn’thave the right salaries or draft assets to realistically get toHoliday’s number unless they are willing to part ways withKarl-Anthony Towns. Even if Tim Connelly was willing to deal Townsfor Holiday, the trade may not be what Portland is looking for withthe 2015 No. 1 overall pick’s five-year supermax extensionbeginning next season. The idea of paying supermax money to Townswill likely be a turn off for Blazers GM Joe Cronin.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Orlando is probably the most fundark-horse destination for Jrue. While Markelle Fultz has been asuitable lead guard when healthy, Holiday would bring achampionship-level veteran presence that could be useful forOrlando’s young squad. The question with the Magic is whether theywould actually pursue a deal that would accelerate their timelinewith Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, as well as whether they wouldpart with draft capital that they could potentially use down theline in future trades.