When an NBA team makes a trade, they don’t always intend to keep the players or assets they receive. Sometimes, they look to get as much value as they can. That may require them to make another deal down the line. Recently, the Portland Trail Blazers may have made such a deal.
This team just traded Damian Lillard. The package that the Blazers received was interesting. Deandre Ayton was a sensible addition to a rebuilding team. The Blazers got some draft capital as well. With that said, the acquisition of Jrue Holiday raised some eyebrows. Portland has no intention of keeping him at all.
That makes sense. This is a rebuilding team, and Holiday is a veteran. With that in mind, any rebuilding club would be happy to land Holiday. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Could the Golden State Warriors be interested in him?
The Trade Proposal
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G Chris Paul, G/F Moses Moody, 2026 First-Round Pick (GSW)
Golden State Warriors Receive: G Jrue Holiday
Did the Warriors acquire Paul with the intention of keeping him? That’s a more difficult call to make. The Warriors could justify the trade they made for Paul in several ways. Whether they see him as a fixture of their roster or not remains unclear.
On the one hand, flipping Jordan Poole for Paul made sense. Poole seemed to have developed some poor relationships with his teammates. He also has a reputation for making questionable decisions on the floor. By contrast, Paul is one of the smartest players in the game’s history. He should be a more reliable rotation player than Poole was for this team.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
On the other hand, Paul is aging. He’s also typically played a brand of basketball that differs from the Warriors’ style. Paul prefers to probe pick and rolls for good shots, whereas the Warriors play a little faster. Would Holiday be a better fit?
Why The Golden State Warriors Do The Deal
Holiday wouldn’t just be a better fit. At this stage of each man’s career, he’s a much better player. This is a case of a win-now upgrade for a team with title aspirations. Is it a no-brainer?
We wouldn’t go that far. Paul is on an expiring contract. On the other hand, Holiday still has some time left on his deal. The Warriors already have some financial concerns. This roster is expensive. If Golden State has reservations about paying Holiday, that’s understandable. With that said, we’d disagree with their logic.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
The Warriors should go for it. Holiday would make them a much better team. If they fall short of their title aspirations this year, they can make trades next summer. Should the Blazers aid them in their title run?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
If this deal transpires, we will feel for Chris Paul. We really will. He’ll be going from contending for an NBA title to mentoring kids. With that said, he’s on an expiring contract. If Paul isn’t ready to retire next summer, he could sign a one-year deal with a contender then.
In the meantime, the Blazers should be happy to bring him on board. With Lillard gone, the most important player on this roster is officially Scoot Henderson. He has the potential to be the NBA’s next great point guard. Paul would be the perfect mentor – the more Henderson can learn for him, the better.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers & Golden State Warriors Updates
With that said, that’s not the main motivation for the Blazers here. They’re interested in Moody and an unprotected first. The former is a solid, do-it-all wing young enough to be part of a rebuild. The latter is the type of asset that Portland needs to get for Holiday. In time, they could use that pick to select a player – ideally, they’ll pick someone they’d like to keep.
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