After the Milwaukee Bucks were humiliated by the Miami Heat in the second round of the bubble playoffs, everybody knew there would be significant changes to the roster, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo's big contract decision coming up. Many turned to Chris Paul as a possible trade target, and the Bucks reportedly did consider a run at the veteran point guard.

However, Paul wound up with the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee got Jrue Holiday for a massive haul. The way Marc Stein tells it over on his new Substack, the Bucks always preferred trading for Holiday.

As Stein notes, it's easy to toss this tidbit out now given Holiday is on the team and locked up on a long-term extension. However, while Paul certainly would have been a great acquisition for Milwaukee and one that would have cost much less, things have worked out okay for the Bucks.

Giannis signed his supermax and Holiday signed his own extension, so it's a long-term play. It's true that Holiday has struggled at times in the playoffs, but Milwaukee is still in the NBA Finals and two wins away from a title. Holiday played a key role in the Bucks getting there when Giannis missed time with his knee injury.

Would Milwaukee still be in this position if Chris Paul was acquired instead of Jrue Holiday? There's a good chance the answer is yes, but there's no doubt both the Bucks and Suns are happy about how things have turned out.

Now, we'll see who is able to come away with the title. Holiday has struggled with his shooting in this series, but he has done a nice job guarding Paul, which was especially evident in Game 4.