Despite having a logjam at point guard after trading for Ja Morant, the Trail Blazers have been signaling to rival teams that they plan to retain Jrue Holiday, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Stein and Fischer acknowledge that could be posturing, but Portland has been insistent that moving Holiday isn’t in the team’s current plans. The two-time All-Star would be the most logical potential outgoing salary in any type of significant trade after dealing away Jerami Grant, whom the team had been trying to move for “weeks.”
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, the Blazers don’t feel a sense of urgency to trade one of their four point guards — the others being Scoot Henderson and Damian Lillard — because they think they can all coexist. That belief stems from the team’s plan to run Holiday at shooting guard and small forward, Quick writes.
Still, additional moves seem likely due to the way the roster is currently constructed, Quick notes. Deni Avdija was essentially the team’s point forward and primary offensive initiator last season, and taking the ball out of his hands after a career year is an odd choice. Shaedon Sharpe is another player in the backcourt mix.
No matter what deals the Blazers make in the wake of the Morant trade, center Donovan Clingan is unlikely to be included, according to Quick, who hears from a source that the 2024 lottery pick is “essentially off limits” in trade talks. The team considered acquiring Morant from Memphis for Grant and Kris Murray to be a “no-brainer” decision, per Quick.
Portland is looking for frontcourt help at center and power forward, in part because they’re likely going to lose Robert Williams in free agency, says Quick, who hears the veteran big man is seeking a new deal worth around $15MM annually.
Describing Morant as “impetuous and unreliable” Bill Oram of The Oregonian argues the trade was a disaster for the Blazers, comparing Morant’s decision-making and attitude to the “Jail Blazers” teams of the early 2000s. Oram questions what the team stands to benefit from the deal, as Morant appears to be a poor on- and off-court fit and has struggled to stay healthy in recent years.