Jrue Holiday could land with Heat, Lakers or Celtics

In the aftermath of the Damian Lillard trade to Milwaukee, all the pieces involved still aren’t secure in their places. It’s being reported by multiple sources that former Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday is highly likely to be continuing his NBA journey with an team other than the Portland Trail Blazers. Several suitable contenders have popped up with interest in acquiring Holiday, including the Lakers, Clippers, and Celtics, to name a few.

Other teams reported as having interest in Holiday are the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Philadelphia 76ers. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Warriors could even join the fray in hopes of making a deal to bring Holiday to the Bay Area. Most of the teams listed are seen as contenders for an NBA championship as we approach the 2023-24 season.

While Holiday would have loved to play the rest of his career in Milwaukee, he could still have the opportunity to play for titles, depending on where he lands. Aside from Chicago, most of these teams can be viewed as having a shot at making a deep run in the playoffs. That’s something that isn’t happening in Portland anytime soon.

Golden State has a recent championship win. Miami was just in the Finals and reached the Eastern Conference Finals the past two years. Then you have the Celtics and Lakers, who also reached the conference finals last season. The Sixers haven’t had as much postseason success as these franchises, but Holiday would make a great addition, with or without James Harden in the picture.

Of all these worthy contenders, the place where Holiday could fit the best could be Miami. While an easy argument can be made for him fitting into any situation, Holiday would slide right into that Heat culture as a player that Pat Riley and Eric Spoelstra would love. He’s a low-maintenance guy who comes to work, does his job and doesn’t complain.

The Heat would be super nasty, defensively adding Holiday to the mix with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. As a two-time All-Star, Holiday isn’t the scoring threat that Lillard is, but can do pretty much everything else required on the court. Miami and their fan base had their hearts set on Dame Time coming to South Beach, but Holiday would be a great fit should they pursue him.