Blazers Sending Clear Message With Jrue Holiday Trade Says NBA Insider

The Portland Trail Blazers made the bold decision to trade for Jrue Holiday for the second time. Before last season started, they acquired him as part of the Damian Lillard trade.

Of course, they ended up re-routing him to Boston. Holiday would go on to win a championship with the Celtics in 2024. Now, he's back in Portland, and it looks like that's where they stay.

The Blazers decided to bring him back in order to get some veteran leadership with this team. It seems that they have made a statement with this trade.

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Portland believes that they have a shot to make the playoffs, and that seems to be the statement that they are making by deciding to make the trade, according to Bleacher Report.

The Trail Blazers were already close to making the play-in last year with the roster that they had last season. They ended up just short of that goal after playing well at the end of the season.

Portland believes that it can make the playoffs and get its young team some playoff experience next season. Holiday is pretty much the only player who has any playoff experience.

It's not just leadership that Holiday brings, too. He is a really good perimeter defensive player, even at his advanced age. While his offense may have fallen off a bit, the defense is enough to keep him in the rotation.

Holiday is the kind of player who can fit in with the rest of the young players that they have. They might not be done making moves this offseason, either.

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The Blazers could be looking to improve the roster at the forward position now that they addressed the center spot with the draft and trading for Holiday to help the guards.

Portland just needs to stay healthy next season, which is something that Holiday has struggled to do in the last few seasons. Injuries derailed any shot the Blazers had of making the playoffs this past year.

With the Celtics, Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He shot 44.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three.

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.