By Tommy Matthews
Lest we forget, the Sixers drafted Jrue Holiday out of UCLA with the 17th pick in 2009.
And they traded him to the Pelicans in 2013.
Holiday may make his way back to the Sixers.
Heading to Portland as part of the three-team Lillard deal, Holiday is clearly superfluous for a now-rebuilding Blazers team that has young guards Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe already on the roster. Reporting from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has the Blazers as open for business in the Jrue market:
At age 33, Holiday averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists last season, shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc. He also made the 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive First Team, his fifth time earning All-Defensive team honors. Holiday would be a terrific fit alongside Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia, able to play on or off the ball and share in the playmaking responsibility, while also taking the tougher defensive assignments with the ability to guard up.
Of course, any number of teams would love to have Holiday on their rosters. What would a trade look like to bring him to Philadelphia? Jrue is on the books for $34.95 million this year, with a player option for $37.365 million next year. A deal for Holiday would have to involve either Tobias Harris ($39.27 million cap hit) or James Harden ($35.64 million cap hit).
The Sixers are interested in trying to acquire Jrue Holiday, per a source familiar with their thinking.
Will obviously be a robust market for him, but Philadelphia expected to see what it'll take to re-route him.
Going to record a quick second pod with @DerekBodnerNBA shortly.
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) September 27, 2023
