NBA Rumors: Jrue Holiday Trade Talks to Be Held by Blazers After Damian Lillard Deal

A Damian Lillard trade finally went down Wednesday with the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly landing the Portland Trail Blazers superstar in a deal that also included the Phoenix Suns, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Portland landed Bucks guard Jrue Holiday as part of its return, but there may be more movement on the horizon, via Wojnarowski:

"The Blazers remain engaged elsewhere on deals and are expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move on Jrue Holiday, sources tell ESPN. Portland is committed to its young group of talented guards."

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in landing Holiday in the wake of the deal. Holiday was drafted by Philadelphia in 2009 and played four seasons with the team before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013.

Holiday, a two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, just averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Bucks.

As Wojnarowski noted, the Blazers are fully embracing a youth movement centered around a backcourt that stars reigning No. 3 overall draft pick Scoot Henderson and 2022 lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe. The team still has 24-year-old Anfernee Simons, who just finished second on the team with 21.1 points per game.

As great as Holiday has performed on both ends of the court, he's clearly a better fit on a playoff-contending team as opposed to a rebuilding franchise. The 33-year-old and 15-year NBA veteran still has plenty left in the tank if last season was any indication, so another trade makes sense.

As far as the Bucks go, this marks a seismic shift to the team's core. The big three of Giannis Antetokounpo, Khris Middleton and Holiday guided the Bucks to a championship two seasons ago, but the team fell in the second round of the playoffs the following year before a first-round exit as a No. 1 seed in 2023.

Injuries (notably to Middleton) played a part in 2022, and the Bucks happened to run into a Miami Heat buzzsaw in 2023 that ran all the way to the NBA Finals.

Antetokounpo recently made it clear on the 48 Minutes Podcast that he's looking for championship rings and that he'd head elsewhere if it meant a better opportunity. He can leave after the 2024-25 season for free agency.

Bringing in Lillard, who should ease Antetokounpo's scoring burden and create a dynamic one-two punch, goes a long way toward achieving Antetokounpo's goal.

It certainly wasn't Holiday's fault that the Bucks didn't win the past two years, but at this juncture, he's reportedly in limbo as Portland looks for his new NBA home. Whichever team lands Holiday is getting a star two-way player and three-time Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year who should be a great fit wherever he goes.