You really have to feel for Jrue Holiday after Tuesday’s big trade news.
The three-time All-Defensive Teamer Holiday was included as a part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ blockbuster trade for star guard Damian Lillard. Holiday is now headed to the Portland Trail Blazers along with several other assets in the multi-team deal.
While much of the attention was rightly on the Bucks’ stunning, out-of-left-field acquisition of Lillard, many NBA fans were feeling bad for Holiday. The timing here was especially brutal as the beloved Buck Holiday had just said in an interview at the start of this week that he hoped to retire in Milwaukee. But instead of getting to spend the rest of his career with the Bucks, Holiday barely even got to spend another 24 hours with them.
Here was a sampling online of some of the sympathy for (as well as the memes about) Holiday.
The NBA is such a tough business…
Jrue Holiday literally said he wanted to retire in Milwaukee and got traded right after.
Feel bad for him. https://t.co/UQWM8AYSiw pic.twitter.com/LFmSTWzkdY
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) September 27, 2023
https://twitter.com/ovocartier/status/1707098261092229137
Jrue Holiday: I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to retire as a Buck.
Bucks GM: pic.twitter.com/YEikOqWLCU
— Virgil Hawkins (@ColeWorldSIMBA) September 27, 2023
Jrue Holiday thinking he’s gonna retire a Buck only for them to trade him a DAY later. pic.twitter.com/V8hsETiOxh
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) September 27, 2023
Jrue Holiday: “I want to retire in Milwaukee”
The Bucks’ front office: pic.twitter.com/tOIbayOOtI
— Matthew Cardenas (@Matt__Card) September 27, 2023
The 33-year-old Holiday did everything the right way in Milwaukee. He was the team’s best and most reliable perimeter defender, took on more than his fair share of responsibility on the offensive end to relieve some of the burden from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, and was an exemplary locker room presence to top it all off too (winning multiple NBA Teammate of the Year Awards with the Bucks). It is safe to say that Milwaukee does not win the 2021 NBA title without Holiday’s contributions to their team.
The good news for Holiday is that he may still get a chance to compete elsewhere. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Blazers are now expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move Holiday. But the Bucks’ sudden trade of Holiday (quite literally hours after he expressed a desire to retire in Milwaukee) just goes to show what a cold world it is in the NBA.
