The Portland Trail Blazers suddenly have a backcourt logjam consisting of four point guards after their high-upside swing on Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. That led many to wonder whether Portland could make Jrue Holiday available for a trade as the next domino to better balance out their wonky roster.
However, Portland is indicating to teams that it doesn't plan to move Holiday, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line.
"Important post-blockbuster development: The Stein Line has learned that the Blazers were immediately messaging to interested parties after the Morant acquisition that they intend to hang onto Jrue Holiday. Time will tell how firm a position is, but that's where the Blazers insist they sit now."
Blazers intend to keep Jrue Holiday in Portland
That also aligns with the update Jason Quick of The Athletic provided regarding the direction the Blazers plan on taking this roster after adding Morant into the mix:
"They want more big-man depth and realize they have a logjam of four point guards with Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist, in large part because the team believes Holiday can alleviate the redundancy by playing him off the ball as a shooting guard or small forward."
Portland addressed its big man depth with an under-the-radar signing of former Thunder big man Branden Carlson. They now have an excess at both the point guard and center positions, though they seem content to head into the 2026-27 season with no significant changes in that regard.
The next logical move is to address their lack of forward depth via free agency, whether that means bringing Matisse Thybulle back and/or any external additions.
That said, just because Portland isn't actively shopping Holiday doesn't mean he's off-limits. It makes sense for the Blazers to at least entertain offers to see if anything blows them away. While it's true his positional versatility should help clear up some of this logjam, Morant's arrival and Lillard's return do make Holiday more expandable.
With Jerami Grant out of the picture, Holiday suddenly made sense as a salary filler to be included in a package should Portland go star hunting. Alternatively, they could've looked to shed Holiday's massive contract to give them more financial flexibility to eventually re-negotiate and extend Deni Avdija.
Down the road, it makes sense for Holiday to resurface as a trade candidate for one of these two reasons. However, that doesn't currently appear to be their situation, as there's little to no urgency to move on from the veteran guard.
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