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One of the biggest moves in the NBA offseason was the Milwaukee Bucks' acquisition of All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans. Even if the Bucks had to ship out the likes of Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and a few future draft picks to snag the 30-year old, it all might be worth it given what Holiday brings to the table for Milwaukee.
Jrue Holiday is regarded as one of the best two-way guards in the league and pairing him with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and back-to-back MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo make the Bucks a serious contender coming into the 2020-2021 season. His uncanny ability to create his own shot and convert form long-range should also add an extra threat to the Bucks offense and should work well with swingman Khris Middleton.
That said, it wasn't just the Bucks who were hoping to acquire the savvy vet. A few teams were also in trade talks with the Pels for Jrue Holiday, but these teams just couldn't present David Griffin and the rest of the New Orleans front office an attractive package to consider moving Holiday their way. And, these three teams might actually end up regretting this.
3. Portland Trail Blazers
One team that was reportedly interested in acquiring Jrue Holiday this offseason was the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers were toying with the idea of pairing breaking up their backcourt and possibly sending CJ McCollum to the Big Easy to put Holiday side-by-side with Damian Lillard.
Though Jrue Holiday isn't as explosive offensively as McCollum, he does hold his own on offense and has consistently done so throughout the course of his career. Last season as the Pels' main playmaker, Holiday raked in averages of 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Pairing him with a high-octane superstar like Lillard would've given opposing teams a ton of problems defensively.
Speaking of defense, Jrue Holiday would definitely be an upgrade compared to McCollum. Although Portland's current backcourt has been offensively one of the best in the West, they've showed struggles on the defensive end which has been a pivotal hurdle down the stretch for these Blazers.
Unfortunately for Portland, they didn't have enough in them to trade for Jrue Holiday and they're surely hoping that this doesn't bite them in the back.
2. Denver Nuggets
Another franchise who would've hugely benefitted from an All-Star point guard such as Jrue Holiday is the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets were a strong threat to possibly acquire the 30-year old with a plethora of young talent they could've offered to New Orleans. Though the offer was indeed sent out, it all fell on deaf ears at the end as Holiday made his way to the Cream City franchise instead.
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Jrue Holiday would've been huge for a young Nuggets squad hungry for more success. After shocking the world with a WCF berth last season, it was clear that what Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic needed was experience. And instantly, this is what Holiday brings in.
Even if Denver had to possibly let go of key pieces in their roster like Gary Harris or rising stars PJ Dozier or even Bol Bol to acquire Jrue Holiday, it would've been worth it for a chance to build a potential title-winning team around Murray, Jokic and Holiday.
With the way it stands, the Nuggets might have to carry on in developing their young core and hope another All-Star caliber guard such as Jrue Holiday somehow unravels during free agency.
1. Dallas Mavericks
As soon as Holiday was available for trade talks, the Dallas Mavericks should've sold an arm and a half to acquire the All-NBA defensive point guard. They did showed interest early on, they were immediately out of the running to trade for the new Bucks starting point guard. Based on recent reports, the main reason why Dallas (as well as both Denver and Portland for that matter) was out of the trade talks was the fact that Denver was determined to send Holiday to the East. Though it's still unclear why the Pelicans went with this direction, what's crystal clear is that the Mavs would've been way better with a point guard like Jrue Holiday.
Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavs to the league's best offense last season but defensively, they were a wreck. They have an abundance of offensive weapons but Rick Carlisle had a scarcity of guys he could look at if they needed a crucial defensive spot – especially in their backcourt. Doncic was coming out of an incredible sophomore year in the league and was even in the running to win the league MVP but let's face it, he struggled defensively and having a guy like Holiday beside him should alleviate all these defensive worries. Jrue Holiday would've fit perfectly to Carlisle's system and would arguably be huge in terms of Doncic's development. But, that's all irrelevant now that Holiday is with the back-to-back MVP in Milwaukee.
The Mavs did upgrade their defense after they traded Seth Curry for Josh Richardson from the Philadelphia 76ers. For now, Mark Cuban would have to hope that their chances with Richardson manning the defense is better than what Holiday would've brought in.
