At the Trail Blazers' end-of-season exit interview, Jrue Holiday was asked if he sees himself sticking around in Portland for next season.
"I hope so," Holiday responded. "I don't like being traded and moved. I like being a part of something and building."
Holiday has been involved in trade rumors since the second he was traded to Portland (again). The Blazers swapped Anfernee Simons for the veteran guard, but the contrasting timelines between Holiday's closing window and Portland's youth raised questions about whether he would be flipped.
Further fueling those rumors was speculation that Holdiay may not want to be here.
However, the Blazers made it clear they traded for Holiday with the intention of keeping him this time around. That turned out to be a great decision, as Holiday was a key reason Portland ended its four-year playoff drought.
"I loved the season," Holiday added at the exit interview. "I don't think a lot of people expected us to get to where we got to. All in all, through all the ups and downs and the way the season started, I think we did a great job."
Jrue Holiday wants to continue building in Portland
Holiday addressed concerns of declining play, bouncing back from a down season in Boston to average 16.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game in Portland.
He was also a key reason the Blazers were able to give the San Antonio Spurs a competitive first-round series, despite the 4-1 outcome. Holiday's championship experience and positional versatility were on full display, whether it was sliding off-ball to let Deni Avdija initiate more of the offense, or even guarding Victor Wembanyama -- who has an entire foot on him -- and somehow still holding his own.
The resurgent season, paired with Damian Lillard's return, left many to wonder whether Portland would trade Holiday this summer. But it's that exact experience and versatility that give Holiday a compelling case to stick around.
He can fit into any roster and any system as a player who simply knows how to win at the highest level. That's going to go a long way toward not only helping Portland achieve its short-term goals with Lillard's closing window, which aligns with Holiday's, but also providing valuable veteran mentorship. We saw that impact this season with Scoot Henderson's progress, as he developed into more of a two-way guard under Holiday's wing.
We see the case for trading Holiday -- selling high on a strong season to get off his lucrative contract. That could still be in play, but Portland also needs to recognize its position in the NBA landscape. In a non-glamour market, it's hard not only to acquire stars but also to convince them to stay. I think that's in part why they have become such a heavy international team.
But fortunately, that doesn't apply to their star guard in Holiday, and he made that crystal clear in the exit interview. The narrative has completely changed for the better since acquiring him just a year ago, and it's easy to see why after the successful season the Blazers just had.
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