The months between the 2023 NBA Finals and the start of the 2023-24 NBA season were some of the most hectic in recent memory. Several superstars —namely Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo —were being discussed as candidates to leave their teams. The future employers of All-Stars like Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, and Jaylen Brown were also in question.
Jrue Holiday Opens Up About Being Pawn in Damian Lillard Trade
It’s the Lillard saga that caught the most attention. Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers for 11 seasons, the Weber State product had become synonymous with the franchise. Nonetheless, Lillard lamented the Blazers’ lack of success later in his career, wincing at the sound of Father Time’s footsteps.
Angling to join the Miami Heat, Lillard waffled over whether to make a formal trade request. However, the Blazers opting to draft Scoot Henderson was the last straw. Not only was Henderson another lead guard, but Portland opted to use the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft instead of using it in a trade for an established star, opposing Lillard’s wishes.
Lillard officially made his trade request on Jul. 2. The 2023 NBA Draft was held on Jun. 22.
In a surprise twist, Lillard wouldn’t be traded until mid-October and it wasn’t to the Heat, per his request. Seeking maximum value in their return, the Blazers opted for a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
Lillard landed with Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, a move that the Bucks hope will quell their concerns about winning. However, in making that move, Milwaukee traded away a core player that helped them win a championship: Jrue Holiday.
No Heads-Up
Holiday, discussing the trade that landed him with the Blazers, reveals the moments after the blockbuster deal in an interview with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green (h/t Volume Sports).
“I’m taking a nap,” Holidays begins. “I see a call from the [general manager], and I’m like, I’ll call him back.”
“Like, I’m deep in this nap too,” Holiday quips. “I’m saying, it’s a good one. Then two seconds later my agent called me. So I pick up his call, he’s like, ‘You talk to him?’ I’m like ‘Nah, bro I’m sleeping.’
He was like, ‘Well you just got traded, so you should probably call him back.'”
“At least let me know 24 hours in advance, not 5 minutes in advance”
— Jrue Holiday tells @Money23Green how he found out he’s getting traded for Dame pic.twitter.com/kkIqLHn3A9
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 26, 2024
“And then I ended up looking at my phone,” Holiday continues. “He ended up texting me everything that was happening, like ‘Yeah we traded you here, here.’
Then I ended up calling him and he ended up saying like, ‘Yeah we traded you for Damian Lillard.'”
Though he was lighthearted as he told the story, Holiday was miffed by how the trade went down. After all, the Bucks had been 138-55 with Holiday. In the 2021 NBA Finals, he led Milwaukee with 9.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
“And maybe I’m asking for too much. It’s kinda like, I mean, we won — I won there.”
“So I also had no clue,” Holiday recalls. “I think for me it was just a shock because at least let me know 24 hours in advance. Not five minutes in advance.”
The Last Laugh
As they say, the NBA is a business. However, that saying tends to disregard the relationships that are important in business. Bucks general manager Jon Horst ignored that as well.
Holiday appears to have gotten the last laugh though. The Blazers eventually traded him to the Boston Celtics, and the storied franchise leads the NBA with a 57-15 record. The gap between the Celtics and the Bucks in the standings (11.0 games) is nearly the same as the one between Milwaukee and the ninth-place Chicago Bulls (11.5 games).
Furthermore, the Bucks have been mired in controversy, firing Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 record and hiring Doc Rivers to replace him. Rivers is 14-12 thus far in Milwaukee. Lillard has shown disdain for his time in the city. Antetokounmpo says this is the “hardest season of his career.”
