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Trail Blazers Plan For Jrue Holiday Revealed: Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:49 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers traded away guard Anfernee Simons to the Boston Celtics on Monday in exchange for veteran guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday had been on the trade block for some time since the Celtics needed to shed salary this offseason.

This is now the second time that Portland has acquired Holiday, but this time the team plans to keep him around. Portland last landed Holiday as part of the Damian Lillard trade, but they then shipped him to the Celtics.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Portland is looking to keep him in town as they try to compete in the loaded Western Conference.

There was interest in Jrue Holiday from Sacramento, Dallas and others. The plan, for now, is definitely for Portland to keep the veteran point guard, sources say, as the Blazers look to compete in the Western Conference. I've seen some wondering whether or not POR would flip him. https://t.co/uKR3pp01Ww
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 24, 2025

The Trail Blazers also reached the postseason last year but fell short at the end of the season. But the young core showed a lot of promise, and the front office seems to believe this is the correct time to make a push.

Portland is expected to be very active this summer, and the team has a few pieces on the roster who could get moved. The Trail Blazers held onto multiple veterans at the trade deadline, and they could now be traded this summer.

Keeping Holiday allows this Trail Blazers team to have a championship veteran on the roster, giving more credibility to this young squad. Holiday has been praised for his leadership abilities over the years, and he can still be productive on the floor.

While his numbers did decrease this past season for the Celtics, the veteran can still produce on both ends of the court. This could be a solid piece for the Trail Blazers, but whether Holiday wants to stay in Portland remains another story.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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