The New York Knicks have expressed interest in acquiring Jrue Holiday (subscription required) from the Portland Trail Blazers as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, according to Marc Stein on The Stein Line. While it remains to be seen who the Knicks would have to part ways with to make this a reality, it does open the door to a Josh Hart reunion in Portland.
Holiday is on a massive salary, owed $32.4 million this season. Financially, it would be simpler if the Blazers pursued a big-name player of their own in return, such as Karl-Anthony Towns ($53.1 million) or Mikal Bridges ($24.9 million). Jake Fischer previously reported via The Stein Line that Portland has "long admired" Bridges (subscription required), so that could certainly be on the table.
But at the same time, the Knicks would clearly be looking to win now if they took on a 35-year-old Holiday. Bridges would help them reach contention status more so than Hart.
Knicks' interest in Jrue Holiday opens door for a Josh Hart-Blazers reunion
He'd also be relatively cheaper for Portland to acquire. Bridges may not be worth the value of those Bucks picks, given how that team in Milwaukee is trending. As good as Bridges is, he's not the needle mover to help Portland make a deep playoff run. In the long term, they'd likely be better off holding onto those picks, whether it's to draft a high upside prospect or cash them in for a bigger star down the road.
That's why it could make sense from Portland's perspective to pursue a Hart reunion instead. He's only owed $19.5 million this season, which wouldn't work in a swap for Holiday, but the Knicks could potentially include Mitchell Robinson's $13 million expiring contract. Another name to monitor to help make the finances work could be French forward Guerschon Yabusele, who is a strong trade candidate for New York.
There are multiple paths the Blazers could take in the Knicks' interest in Holiday. Hopefully, we'll gain more clarity on that in the coming days, as it could also depend on whether the Greek Freak is actually on the move.
But don't count out a Hart reunion.
The Blazers sent him to the Knicks for essentially nothing but a first-round pick that turned into the underwhelming Kris Murray, but things are different this time around in Portland. Should they trade him and ultimately decide to keep him, Hart could be the elite role player and Swiss Army Knife this team needs on the wing.
Then again, they could flip him to another contender. The Blazers tend to do that.