The Heat and Clippers are believed to be the other teams that were seriously in the mix for Jrue Holiday before the Trail Blazers accepted the Celtics’ offer for the All-Defensive guard, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast.
“I’m not sure exactly where are the offers were at the end for the Blazers before they decided on the Celtics’ offer, but based on my conversations, my feel was there was at least three teams who were making significant bids.” Windhorst said, according to RealGM. “… The teams I really think were there in the end were the Celtics, Heat and the Clippers.
“The reason I think those three teams were there because I think those were the three teams Jrue Holiday was really focused on at some point being able to sign a longer-term contract (with). And that message kind of went out in recent days. Other teams made offers but it was sort of a three-team, aggressive race at the end. Only the Blazers know exactly what the offers were.”
The Clippers came close to acquiring Malcolm Brogdon back in June, so it will be interesting to see if they make any effort to re-engage the Trail Blazers in talks for Brogdon after missing out on Holiday.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Nick Young is resuming his playing career overseas, having signed with the Macau Black Bears of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). A former first-round pick, Young has appeared in 720 regular season NBA games, but has been out of the league since being waived by Denver in 2018.
- Speaking to Alex Molina of Eurohoops following his move to FC Barcelona, former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker said he believes the NBA is getting “watered down” because so many teams are trying to tank for draft picks each season, and expressed dismay that players like Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall can’t find NBA homes.
- ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his mock draft for 2024, moving USC guard Isaiah Collier up to No. 2 and Perth Wildcats big man Alexandre Sarr up to No. 4. While Ron Holland of the G League Ignite is still considered the early favorite to be next year’s No. 1 pick, Givony says Sarr has done enough to join the small group of prospects with a legitimate case for the top spot in the 2024 draft.
- With a series of holes in its programming schedule this winter due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, ABC will air NBA games on every Wednesday night in January, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. That slate of games will includes matchups between the Pelicans and Warriors, Mavericks and Lakers, and Suns and Nets, among others.
- Kurt Helin of NBC Sports believes that Jason Kidd (Mavericks), Steve Clifford (Hornets), and Billy Donovan (Bulls) are three head coaches who will be on the hot seat this season.
Do you see the top prospects being lined up for the 2024 draft. Ron Holland, Isaiah Collier, Alexandre Sarr …. Add Matas Buzelis to that list.
These are some of the future top tier draft talent the Portland Trail Blazers will NOT be adding to Scoot Henderson. Why??? Because they are foolishly trying to win now, rather than wisely rebuild through the draft with starts with a couple of very high picks of your own. NOT by signing and trading for players who will NOT be relevant in 3 years when your young guys have matured a bit, and are truly ready to win.
Again, look at OKC …. SGA, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams …. 4 likely maximum contract guys ….. All through the draft. It takes time for players to mature, develop and develop chemistry among each other. OKC has brilliantly pulled this off. They took a HUGE jump last year.
OKC is in win-now mode with young players. Portland sitting on a whole bunch of veteran, tradeable assets ….. OKC doesn’t want or need ANY of them. They drafted their own guys.
What are you taking about??? Portland has 3 players over 26 that will see any regular minutes as a starter or coming off the bench. How are they trying to win now??? They’re constructing their roster as they should be. Which players will not be relevant in 3 years that they have traded for or signed?
DeAndre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, Rob Williams ….. and you are NOT trying to win now???? They won’t be relevant in the next couple of years. However, Ayton will get enough stats to earn another fat payday from Portland.
You don’t even know if Scoot is the goods yet. He hasn’t played an NBA game. Yet you are building a roster to win games, rather than develop your young talent …. Which takes years …. Add potentially adding young equally good players to Scoot. Guys that can grow together. Wins the next two years are doing nothing but getting you worse draft picks.
Which players won’t be relevant in 3 years??? That is easy …. Malcolm Brogdon and Rob Williams …. Injuries will make both non-factors or out of the league. Jerami Grant. His time is now, and he is just a role player piece. He gets stats on bad teams.
Let’s also add Anfernee Simons to the list. His trade value is not high. He needs the ball in his hands to perform. How does that happen with Scoot??? And he is another No Defense guy.
LOL. Hopefully, you’re kidding.
POR has done nothing this off season but resign its own FA (Grant), draft a 19 year old PG (Scoot) and trade veterans for draft picks. FYI, trade rules require them to take back contracts, so its unavoidable they’ll have some veterans on the team.
Weren’t you one of the guys that advised POR to trade Lillard to MIA for whatever toxic waste was being offered at the time, OR be condemned to hell by all existing and future NBA players? HOWEVER flawed their current strategy, it’s certainly better than the path that you recommended.
Look at the OKC blueprint. You tell me who’s plan you think will work???
OKC has a clear model (openly and shamelessly trying to lose), but its too early to say what POR’s model is or if they even have one.
Right now, you can’t even say that POR isn’t following the OKC model. How are they in any different spot than OKC when they traded away Westbrook, PG13 and Grant for draft picks? In that initial year, you do realize that OKC retained veterans like CP3 and Gallo. So, they got a year off from their tank-a-thon. Maybe POR is following that same script. I hope not, but for those who like the OKC model, you can hope so. Unclear until next season.
Since you asked, I hate the OKC model and find it an embarrasment to the league and the sport. It’s the second time Presti has implement this model. Like it (as you do) or hate it (as I do), it certainly takes no talent or intelligence to implement. ANYBODY can lose on purpose. The first OKC Tank-a-thon netted lots of talent I grant you. But no championship teams. It’s what all Tank-a-thon models have in common. No championship teams.
OKC is set up to win for the next 10 years. All through the draft. OKC traded for Paul George to pair with Westbrook, and then quickly went to a rebuild by trading him away a year later. They have executed brilliantly since then. All through the draft. 4 franchise player level players. All through the draft. Now they are set up for the foreseeable future. All their guys are just not headed toward their prime.
Will they win a championship? Finally?
FWIW, the 12 year old kid who lives a few doors down from me could do just as well as Presti if you asked him. Tearing things down and losing is actually easy if you try.
PG13 played 2 years with OKC they didn’t pivot.
They didn’t draft SGA.
They did have years of tanking but they had some good scouting by getting Williams. Holmgren was easy. Giddey is solid but I am not sold on him being great next to SGA. He needs to improve shooting. Presti is good but he had some dud picks and decisions in KD/Russ era.
Although OKC might be ready to start winning, they would be the exception. Only Phoenix has a claim of quick success with Booker, Bridges, and Ayton.. and they didn’t win and blew it up for their current roster of superstars. Otherwise, teams like Charlotte, Orlando, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Atlanta have yet to find success down that path. And OKC still has only barely made it to the play-offs. So let’s see how that plays out.
…and just read the other comments, so looked up the history… OKC got SGA after he was drafted by CHA, traded to LAC, and came to OKC with PG13 trade… and still had Chris Paul on the roster. Completely different situation… So that means it is a continuation of the 1st tank job to get Westbrook, PG13,CP3, Harden.. and none of them ever got a ring. I’d almost say OKC tanking for lottery picks ended up being a great example of how to ruin careers.
Jabari Parker is my dude. I have known this kid since he was in grammar school. He even used to work for me when he was in high school.
The league is watered down. However, it is taking it’s biggest hit by not emphasizing what Jabari did not do …. Play Defense. Play Hard all the times.
Rule changes to stimulate offense to make the NBA look like a video game has been highly destructive to the overall product.
Actually the product is the best its ever been and players are the most skilled they have ever been. The game just left you in the past.
You enjoyed the grabbing clutching holding hacking of 25 years ago? That was ugly basketball. That’s playing basketball without skill set. I’m not quick enough so I have to bump you on the way to the basket after you go past me. Grab your arms, knock you down.
Today’s game is way better and more globally accepted because of the skill. The dribbling, the quickness, the passing, cutiingg, the shooting. These are all skills. Way better game today.
What you’re speaking of was actually REGRESSION of the league to grunt ball. The 60s-70s were finesse and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain scoop shots and fall aways, George Gervin, high flying Julia Erving, David Thompson.
The league took a step backwards in the late ’80s early ’90s with physically attacking and laying out guys.
Rules changes to stimulate offense is going back to what it was, and the way it should be now.
I enjoyed watching guys actually play, and be allowed to play defense. Not artificial stat supermen.
The real REGRESSION has happened over the past 15 years. It has continued to the point where USA didn’t even medal in the World Cup. Why? Guys cannot play team basketball. They got blasted by Dennis Schroeder, Franz Wagner and a bunch of German countrymen.
Very Barry on a positive note, isn’t it great to see a kid you knew make it to the big time? Great experience and wonderful to see it. Good for you for the influence you had on him to work hard and overcome obstacles etc. Nice job.
I am not Jabari’s parents. Although they are good friends of mine. They did a fantastic job of raising Jabari. He was America’s Sweetheart when he was in high school because he was such a nice kid. However, getting millions of dollars pumped into your bank account, and maturing from a kid into a man does change people. Jabari starting believing all of his hype. Once Giannis became the guy in Milwaukee which was pretty much after he got there …. Jabari alienated himself from teammates, and became a problem because for the first time in his life he was not “The Guy”. Rather than working harder to get back to being the guy, Jabari chose to pout.
All that may be true but what I would add to the equation is the multiple devastating injuries Jabari suffered. That’s a lot for any man to withstand. Not defending Parker at all but just adding that to the equation when assessing his conduct and attitude.
And Very Barry I realize you’re not his parents. But I thought I would soften my reply that disagreed with you, with something a little more positive. You said you were familiar with him, had interaction with him.., well maybe you helped with a word or two here and there? It’s amazing what kids retain.
One last thought on defense. Skill set is moving your feet and beating the guy to the spot. Grunt ball is grabbing, holding, clutching, and all the rest of it. I prefer quickness and athleticism as opposed to the weight room and knocking guys down.
@VeryBarry – Now this is the type of post that makes you a must read poster (whether I end up agreeing or not). Here, I definitely agree. The NBA has never really cared about basketball, or at least it hasn’t since Stern took over. But they’re good marketers, which means giving their audience what they want.
Correct … The rule changes were NEVER about improving the game. It was only about trying to make more money $$$$. It was just sold to everyone as improving and modernizing.
It was also about reducing the level of physicality in the game to allow young players, who bodies are not mature, to better be able to compete. 18-22 year-old’s are the best to market to other 18 to 20 somethings who identify with their own age. Lots of marketing around the kids.
Portland has 2 players that may not be with them past the trade deadline, Grant and Brogdon. They are in rebuild mode but still have enough talent to compete. That’s a win, win in any GM’s book. Probably not good enough for the playoffs “but you never know” it all depends on the improvement of Sharpe, Simons and Scoot. They also have quality youngsters in Williams, Walker and Murray who should earn backup minutes behind Grant, Sharpe and Ayton. This team is loaded with high flying athletes not seen in PDX since the Drexler, Kersey and Buck Willams era (90’s). Plus this team should have no problem running some slow teams out of the building. This is an exciting time to be a Blazers fan, if you love fast breaks and dunks!
You tell them Parker. If he said anything about the lack of talent, no drive to play 82, play defense. No dribbling violations, perverts in the league, wife beaters, Silver who only cares about money and protecting the players then I would of said he is one of my new favorite players.
Most competitive time in the NBA in this order starting with the most competitive to least in order. 80s,90s,60s,00s,70s,2010,2020,50s
Play no defense*