The Portland Trail Blazers were in discussions for a Darius Garland-Jrue Holiday swap leading up to February's trade deadline, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently reported. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers ultimately decided to trade for Holiday instead, determining that Holiday wasn't enough of a "reliable offensive engine."
"If it wasn’t Harden, it might’ve been someone else. The Cavs wondered about Boston’s appetite for moving Derrick White — a non-starter given Jayson Tatum’s speedy recovery from a ruptured Achilles. They contemplated a Jrue Holiday swap with Portland given Holiday’s defensive acumen and championship pedigree, ultimately determining he wasn’t enough of a reliable offensive engine. There were a few other internal discussions, including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo."
Cavaliers took the polarizing James Harden route instead
Harden has taken on the role of the fall guy in Cleveland, which is understandable given his playoff shortcomings throughout his career. But the Cavaliers had postseason woes of their own well before Harden arrived, signaling it's more a flaw in their core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
Moving Garland was a step in the right direction, but I don't think having Holiday over Holiday would've been the determining factor in whether they came out of the Eastern Conference. It's a polarizing decision nonetheless, given Harden's notorious playoff reputation, which sits at the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Holiday's. The former has proven to be the missing piece in both Milwaukee and Boston, putting them over the top to win rings at both stops due to his underappreciated two-way impact.
It's also puzzling that the offensive-minded star backcourt of Garland and Mitchell didn't work out, so they thought Harden -- a human traffic cone in the series against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks -- would be the solution. Cleveland traded one problem for another, but with Harden at 36, they unnecessarily accelerated their timeline and now find themselves with a sense of urgency to win now amid a closing window. Unless LeBron James walks through those doors or they somehow win the Giannis sweepstakes, Cleveland has an expensive, top-heavy roster that lacks a contender ceiling.
Blazers missing out on Darius Garland is a blessing in disguise
Fortunately, from Portland's perspective, Cleveland's polarizing trade deadline decision could prove a blessing in disguise. On the surface, Garland would fit in well with the Blazers' timeline, helping address severe playmaking and shooting deficiencies. He'd even bring more clarity to what is an uncertain and inconsistent future backcourt led by Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
But similarly, Portland wouldn't have a contender ceiling with Garland, and would even find themselves in a similar situation as before with CJ McCollum, relying on an undersized offensive backcourt duo of their own with Damian Lillard's return.
The league is trending away from undersized guards, and Portland got ahead of the curve by swapping Anfernee Simons for the versatile Holiday. Landing Garland would reverse that progress in terms of player archetype, which doesn't necessarily translate to championships.
Additionally, Garland is a more injury-prone star than some may think, having played just 45 games over the past two seasons. That's quite the financial risk to take on, with Garland set to make over $40 million annually the next two seasons.
Portland is in a prime position to make a splash this summer, and it would've been more complicated had they flipped Holiday yet again. Maybe the Cavaliers should've picked the proven champion Holiday over the polarizing star Harden, maybe not. I don't think it matters in the scheme of things for their ceiling.
But there's no denying it changes the NBA landscape, and the fact that Portland still has Holiday -- who is expected to receive interest around the league this summer -- is quietly a big win.
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