The Portland Trail Blazers took a significant step forward this season, making this a significant offseason for them. It could see them move on from a former All-Star due to a positional logjam, though.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line wrote Saturday that the Blazers are expected to field significant trade interest in veteran guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday would prefer to stay with the Blazers, but the team may see him as expendable due to Scoot Henderson’s emergence and Damian Lillard’s impending return from injury.
The Blazers like Holiday, but he may simply be the odd man out. Henderson is younger and the Blazers may want to open more minutes for him before making a long-term decision on his future. Holiday, meanwhile, has one year left on his current deal, plus a player option for 2027-28.
Holiday was a key part of Portland’s maturation this past season. He averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Blazers, taking on a large role as the anchor of the team’s backcourt. He turns 36 in June, however, which may not necessarily align with Portland’s long-term vision.
Holiday drew trade interest at the deadline, even though he did not get moved. Most contenders would at least give him a look given his experience and long track record of success, not to mention his reputation as a great locker room guy.
