NBA Rumors: 5 realistic trades to land Jrue Holiday on a contender
No. 1 realistic Jrue Holiday trade: Miami Heat
Jrue to Heat
The Portland Trail Blazers clearly did not negotiate in good faith when it came to the Miami Heat's pursuit of Damian Lillard. Should that prevent the Heat from picking up the phone and making a strong push for Holiday? No, it should not. One has to imagine Joe Cronin's phone lines will be more open this time around.
Miami runs the risk of getting left in the dust after last season's Finals appearance. The Heat were the No. 8 seed for a reason. A remarkable (and statistically improbable) hot streak from 3-point range brought them to the precipice of history, but that probably won't happen again. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are a proven competitive core, but the Heat's roster simply does not stack up on paper right now.
Holiday would be a step in the right direction. He's the perfect Heat player — hard work ethic, two-way player, scalable skill set. Miami's point guard depth is paper thin after Gabe Vincent left for Los Angeles in free agency. Holiday is more than servicable as a fill-in, giving the Heat another halfcourt creator to stagger with Butler. He's not the elite shooter Miami probably desires (sorry about Dame, y'all), but Holiday makes up for it with reliability and defense.
The Heat are an elite defensive team when humming properly. There aren't many better "two-way" stars than Butler and Adebayo. The latter has a real case for 'Best Defender in the NBA'; Butler is a premium perimeter stopper when he puts his mind to it, blessed with the reactive instincts of a martial artist and the dog mentality of a kid from Tomball, Texas. Miami would have a tremendous apparatus for stops, blessed with the ability to switch every screen and punish every ball-handler.
Miami needs to get back on the map. Holiday isn't the prize Pat Riley and the front office wanted, but he's a genuine get — and the level of player who would force Eastern Conference contenders to once again heed the Heat's presence in a crowded field.
Next. 5 teams who will regret not beating Bucks' offer for Lillard. 5 teams who will regret not beating Bucks' offer for Lillard. dark