The Portland Trail Blazers front office, led by general manager Joe Cronin, finally traded away Damian Lillard, but not to the Miami Heat. Instead, they dealt him to the highest bidder, the Milwaukee Bucks, for a package headlined by Jrue Holiday, the two-time All-Star and one of the best defensive guards in the association. This would allow the Blazers to get even more assets given how well Holiday fits on a contending team.

And on Sunday morning, the Blazers got what they wanted, sending Holiday to the Boston Celtics for even more draft picks and players who could fetch them even more draft assets. But relative to what their initial asking price was for the former Bucks guard, it seems like they settled.

According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the Blazers were initially “seeking a haul that included four or five future first-round picks”. Knowing how inordinately expensive that asking price was, Joe Cronin and company then lowered their demands, with the Celtics swooping in with an offer of Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III, and two first-round picks.

Knowing the art of negotiations is a surefire way to at least come away from trade talks feeling satisfied, and the Blazers appear to have done well in this regard. Asking for a sky-high trade return for an asset as enticing as Jrue Holiday isn't being unrealistic; it's showing the other team that they won't be pushovers and that they won't be accepting a measly return.

To that end, the Blazers succeeded; that 2029 Celtics pick, in particular, could pay dividends given how far out in the future that asset will convey. And they're not finished acquiring assets just yet, as they still have Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III as trade assets with positive value who could be attractive options for contending teams to pursue leading up to the February trade deadline.

Joe Cronin appears to have made lemonade after Damian Lillard's trade request gave him and the Blazers lemons. Their rebuild, led by Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons, is off to a rousing start, and it's all thanks to their patience and impressive ability to maximize the assets they have at their disposal.