Jrue Holiday Could Be The Key To Solving The Sixers’ James Harden Trade Standoff

Damian Lillard was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, bringing an end to one of the largest unresolved storylines in the NBA. In the deal, Jrue Holiday was acquired by the Blazers; nevertheless, it is possible that the 33-year-old will not stay in Portland for long.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Blazers “are expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move on Holiday.” According to Wojnarowski, they are dedicated to a “young group of talent guards” that includes Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in 2023, Shaedon Sharpe, the seventh overall pick in 2022, and five-year veteran Anfernee Simons.

Holiday may provide a lifeline for the Philadelphia 76ers in their attempt to end their protracted standoff with guard James Harden, who is not happy.

Holiday’s team is “expected to see what it will take to re-route,” according to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck. And while the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Clippers are just a few of the clubs that may show interest in Holiday, the Sixers may have the best opportunity to diffuse the Harden problem before it gets much worse.
Holiday’s 2024–2025 player option is worth $39.4 million, although his $36.8 million cap Һit comes this season. With a $35.6 million cap charge this season, Harden could be traded one-on-one to the Sixers in exchange for Holiday, fulfilling all salary-matching trade rules.

A video that went viral earlier this year showed Holiday telling Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala, his former teammates on the Sixers, that he planned to retire in May 2022, when his contract expired. But he recently made it clear to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he has no intention of carrying it out.
“Just them being my friends, and we have talked about the many phases of basketball. Like, even with my family, there are times when it might be ideal to retire or just to be worn out from playing a lot of hoops. But no,” answered Holiday. “No, I am not retiring,” is my response.