3 outside-the-box teams who should go after Jrue Holiday

The Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns struck up the blockbuster trade of the summer on Wednesday, with Damian Lillard heading to the land of lakes and cheese to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Meanwhile, the Blazers received Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and future draft capital for their troubles.

Ayton, the former No. 1 pick, is expected to anchor the Blazers' frontcourt at 25 years old. The 33-year-old Holiday, however, doesn't fit the timeline. He's a tremendous player, multi-faceted on offense and beyond reproach on defense. He would help Portland, but the Blazers want to rebuild and Holiday carries trade value of his own.

The expectation is that Portland trades Holiday before media day and training camp gets underway league-wide in a few days. It could get dicey with Portland's stubborn negotiating tactics, but Holiday won't carry quite the same sentimental importance to the Blazers' front office as Lillard did. He's a tier or two below Lillard on the trade value spectrum, but he's the exact piece every contender is looking for.

Holiday might be the best defensive guard in the NBA. He also averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists as the lead ball-handler for the No. 1 seed in the East. We already know the list of suspected suitors — LA Clippers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.

Now, let's go off-script. These teams aren't in the Holiday mix, but probably should be.

No. 3 outside-the-box Jrue Holiday trade suitor: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves sought a short-term upgrade at point guard last season when D'Angelo Russell was dealt for Mike Conley. The results were mostly positive, but Conley is 35 years old with precious few starter-level seasons left in the tank. Holiday is only two years younger, but he should give the Wolves a few more seasons of All-Star impact if Minnesota takes the plunge.

It's a great fit for all parties. Holiday gets to join a team ready to contend with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Wolves desperately need a leadership voice, a true adult in the room. That's Holiday. He's a great human and a quality teammate.

Edwards has emerged as the undisputed alpha in Minnesota, but Holiday can help mask a few of the former No. 1 pick's shortcomings on offense. Edwards is a twitchy ball-handler with impressive strength and explosiveness barreling toward the rim, but he's not exceptionally gifted at creating for others — not yet, at least. Holiday is an elite table-setter who can ease Edwards' halfcourt burden while also placing the UGA product in positions to succeed. Holiday ranks near the top of the NBA in assists every year; he's far above the median when it comes to helping teammates.

The defensive upside is what really pushes this into must-do territory for Minnesota. Holiday alone can change the calculus of opposing offenses with his sticky on-ball defense and tireless screen navigation. Add Edwards' burgeoning two-way impact, along with the NBA's best rim protector in Rudy Gobert and one of the NBA's top wing defenders in Jaden McDaniels, and the Wolves suddenly profile as a defensive juggernaut.