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Jrue Holiday Rumors: Heat, Pacers, Knicks, Celtics, More

The Lakers, Clippers, Heat, Celtics, Bulls and Sixers are among the teams Jrue Holiday would be interested in joining, a league source tells Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

That said, unless the Trail Blazers are willing to hold onto Holiday for at least a few months, you can scratch the Lakers from the list of possible suitors. They obviously aren’t trading LeBron James for Holiday, and the other players they could theoretically use to match salaries aren’t trade-eligible until December or January.

The Blazers are expected to prioritize young players and draft assets in exchange for Holiday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (YouTube link).

Holiday is expected to draw interest from a variety of teams, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link). The Heat could be among that group, but Portland “had no major interest in any individual Miami player or draft asset, and limited interest in whatever combination Miami might cobble” during negotiations for Damian Lillard, Lowe reports.

According to Chiang and Jackson, the Heat haven’t ruled out making an aggressive push for Holiday, but they didn’t do it immediately on Thursday. Miami isn’t expected to pursue James Harden, and has yet to express interest in Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who is reportedly on the trading block after failing to reach an extension, a source tells Chiang and Jackson. Free agent guard Goran Dragic is interested in returning to the Heat, but that interest doesn’t appear to be mutual, per The Herald’s duo.

Sources tell Lowe the Pacers and Knicks are expected to have a level of interest in Holiday, though it’s unclear how seriously they’ll pursue the defensive stalwart. While Lowe believes Holiday could be a good fit with both clubs, he wonders if Indiana will decide it’s too early to make a win-now move.

Boston was previously cited as a possible suitor, but multiple sources tell Brian Robb of MassLive that the Celtics will likely be outbid and aren’t expected to land Holiday. Still, the team has long been interested in the veteran guard — Boston tried to acquire Holiday a few years ago before he was traded to Milwaukee, a source tells Robb.

Here are a few more notes related to Holiday, who was sent to the Blazers from the Bucks as part of yesterday’s Lillard blockbuster:

  • Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t have a direct impact on the Lillard deal, Wojnarowski noted in the same segment. “Directly, (Antetokounmpo) literally played no role,” Wojnarowski said. “In fact, (GM) Jon Horst did not bring this trade idea or sign off on it to Giannis Antetokounmpo because Jrue Holiday was involved. And the relationship there and the reverence that this organization and these players have for Holiday. He did not want to put that to Giannis Antetokounmpo and have him have that on his conscience necessarily that he might sign off or not sign off on it.” However, as Wojnarowski observes, Antetokounmpo putting pressure on the organization by saying winning more championships was the most important thing in his career certainly played a significant indirect factor in Milwaukee trading for Lillard.
  • In addition to the previously mentioned teams that might pursue Holiday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) believes the Pelicans, Kings and Warriors would also benefit from the All-Star guard’s services. Over at The Athletic, John Hollinger lists the Heat, Clippers and Celtics as logical destinations for Holiday.
  • Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers the pros and cons of the Pacers pursuing Holiday. As Dopirak writes, head coach Rick Carlisle heaped praise on the five-time All-Defensive member during the 2022/23 season. “I’d like to somebody to name five other basketball players that are better than Jrue Holiday at the entire game,” Carlisle said. “Guy’s an amazing player, both sides of the ball. His scoring tonight was at another level obviously, but defensively, he can guard anybody. Just a nod of respect to him. He’s a guy that too often is overlooked as a truly, truly great player.” Still, Dopirak thinks it’s probably too early for Indiana to go after a 33-year-old veteran like Holiday, who can be a free agent in 2024 if he declines his player option.

Bucks Acquire Damian Lillard In Three-Team Trade

9:37pm: The trade is now official, the Bucks announced in a press release.

Damian Lillard is an elite player in our league and someone we’ve long been fans of,” said general manager Jon Horst. “These opportunities are rare and hard to measure and execute. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity for our community and team, and beyond excited to welcome Damian and his family to the Milwaukee Bucks. His character, competitiveness, talent and experience complement our group and gives us the best chance to win at the very highest level as we create new memories together.”

These are the hardest, most human moments of this business. Jrue was unmatched in his commitment to the Bucks and the Greater Milwaukee community,” Horst said of Holiday. “He’s truly a champion on and off the court, and we are all thankful for what he and his family have given to our team and city. He and his wife Lauren were steadfast in their efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of so many people. Their leadership and dedication to the community has left an indelible mark and inspired the Bucks organization for years to come.”


1:22pm: The Bucks have reached an agreement to trade for star Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard in a blockbuster three-team deal that also includes the Suns, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, Portland will acquire guard Jrue Holiday and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick from the Bucks, along with the right to swap first-round picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030. The Blazers will also get center Deandre Ayton and rookie forward Toumani Camara from the Suns in the deal.

In exchange for Ayton and Camara, Phoenix will receive center Jusuf Nurkic, forward Nassir Little, and guard Keon Johnson from Portland, as well as wing Grayson Allen from Milwaukee, per Woj.

The massive deal is the culmination of a saga that lasted nearly three months after Lillard requested a trade out of Portland in early July. The seven-time All-Star had spent his entire 11-year NBA career with the Trail Blazers but felt that the team was no longer moving toward championship contention following consecutive lottery seasons and sought a change of scenery.

Miami was Lillard’s landing spot of choice, but reports throughout the process indicated that there was little communication between the Heat and Trail Blazers. In recent days, with the Blazers believed to be working to make a deal before the start of training camp, other Eastern Conference suitors like the Raptors and Bucks were increasingly connected to the 33-year-old.

Milwaukee ultimately emerged as the surprise winner of the Lillard sweepstakes, beating a handful of conference rivals to the punch and strengthening a core that also includes two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and standout starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, both of whom signed new free agent contracts with the club this offseason.

While there have been questions about whether Lillard would be happy to report to any team besides the Heat, both he and Antetokounmpo have expressed a desire to play with one another in the past, as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com point out (all Twitter links). And the Bucks should put Lillard in a better position to win a championship than he ever had with the Blazers.

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo may not be any more inclined to sign a long-term extension with the Bucks following the acquisition of Lillard than he was earlier in the offseason, given that he would benefit financially from waiting another year. However, in dealing for another star like Lillard, the Bucks’ front office proved it heard Giannis’ call for the organization to be as committed to contending for titles as he is.

The Blazers, who patiently scoured the market for most of the offseason in the wake of Lillard’s trade request, will come away from the deal with a pair of intriguing new players in Ayton and Holiday, though the big man is more likely to remain in Portland than the veteran guard.

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Blazers – who are focused on developing a young backcourt that features Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and this year’s No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson – remain engaged in trade talks involving Holiday and could flip him to a contender for additional assets.

Holiday, who can become a free agent next summer if he turns down his 2024/25 player option, recently spoke about his desire to sign a contract extension with the Bucks, but now appears destined for a new long-term NBA home. Holiday will become extension-eligible in February, though as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), he won’t be able to sign a contract that exceeds the extend-and-trade limits (two new years, 5% raises) until six months after being dealt.

On the other hand, it sounds like Ayton will be a keeper for the Blazers, who have had interest in the former No. 1 overall pick in the past and were linked to him again within the last week. The 25-year-old had an up-and-down five-year stint in Phoenix that included some tension with former Suns coach Monty Williams, but he has averaged a double-double for five straight seasons, including 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game across 67 contests last season.

As for the Suns, they recognized that a player such as Ayton, who liked to have the ball in his hands, might not be an ideal fit alongside their new big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, and turned the young center and his $32.5MM cap hit into a series of role players on smaller contracts, including another big man in Nurkic.

Acquiring Nurkic, Little, Allen, and Johnson will make the Suns deeper and will give them more flexibility in future trades, given that their nearly all of their non-stars had been on minimum-salary contracts. However, the move creates a bit of a roster crunch in Phoenix. The club will now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Jordan Goodwin and Ish Wainright on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals. At least two of those 17 players will have to be traded or cut before the regular season tips off.

While the Suns will increase their roster count as a result of this trade, the Bucks and Trail Blazers are both sending out more players than they’re taking back. That’s especially notable for Milwaukee, which had been carrying 15 players on guaranteed salaries prior to agreeing to acquire Lillard. The Bucks now project to have an open spot on their 15-man regular season roster, which could be used to add a backup point guard.

From a cap perspective, the Bucks will take on the biggest long-term deal in the three-team trade — Lillard is under contract for four more seasons and will earn a projected $216MM during that time, while Holiday ($36.86MM) and Allen ($8.93MM) could both reach free agency next summer.

The Blazers will owe Ayton approximately $102MM over the next three years before he becomes eligible for free agency. Camara is under contract for four years, but it’s a minimum-salary deal and only the first season is guaranteed.

The Suns will take on Nurkic’s three-year contract worth $54.38MM and Little’s four-year contract worth $28MM in addition to Allen’s expiring deal. Johnson is owed a guaranteed $2.81MM salary in 2023/24 and has a $4.47MM team option that the Suns must pick up or decline by October 31, if he’s still on the roster at that point.

Victor Oladipo Won’t Be In Camp With Thunder

Veteran guard Victor Oladipo, who was traded to the Thunder this offseason, won’t be in training camp with the team, general manager Sam Presti told reporters on Wednesday, per Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder (Twitter link). According to Rahbar, Presti said that the Thunder will soon have to make a decision on Oladipo’s contract.

“VO is great. He’s been through a lot,” Presti said. “He’ll be back this season at some point. But with our roster situation, we can’t prioritize that. But we’re big fans of Victor.”

Oklahoma City acquired Oladipo from the Heat in July along with a pair of second-round picks. It was a cost-cutting move for Miami after the 31-year-old picked up his $9.45MM player option for the 2023/24 season.

Oladipo has had his career derailed in recent years by a series of leg injuries. The latest one occurred in the spring, as he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee early in the postseason.

While Presti indicated today that he expects Oladipo to return to action at some point this season, he presumably won’t be ready for opening night. And even when he has been healthy enough to play in recent years, the two-time All-Star has struggled to regain his old form.

In his prime, Oladipo was a talented scorer and a lockdown perimeter defender. However, he hasn’t been able to stay on the court for a full season since 2017/18. Last year, in 42 games for the Heat, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .397/.330/.747.

The Thunder have a roster crunch this fall, with 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three more (Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Jack White) who have a legitimate shot to make the club’s 15-man regular season roster. Oklahoma City will have to trade or waive at least three players before opening night, and Oladipo looks like a good bet to be one of the odd men out. If OKC is unable to find a taker for his expiring contract, he could be waived before the regular season begins.

Warriors, Rudy Gay Agree To One-Year Deal

The Warriors and free agent forward Rudy Gay are in agreement on a one-year contract, agent Sam Permut tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Gay will compete in training camp for a spot on Golden State’s regular season roster.

Gay, 37, spent the last two seasons in Utah and exercised a player option to guarantee his $6.48MM salary for 2023/24. However, he was traded twice this offseason – first to Atlanta in the John Collins deal and then to Oklahoma City as part of a package for Patty Mills – and was subsequently waived by the Thunder, making him an unrestricted free agent in July.

A 17-year veteran who regularly averaged in the neighborhood of 20 points per game during stints in Memphis, Toronto, and Sacramento earlier in his career, Gay has seen his playing time and his production decline in recent seasons.

His 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 14.6 minutes per game in 56 appearances with the Jazz in 2022/23 were all career lows, as were his 38.0% field goal percentage and a 25.4% mark on three-point tries.

Still, Gay put up decent scoring numbers off the bench for several years prior to last season, so the Warriors – who were identified in July as one of several clubs to register interest in the forward and were rumored to be in the market for a wing – will take a flier on him this fall to see what he still has left in the tank.

Golden State currently has 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals, so the club could technically carry three additional players into the regular season — two on standard contracts and one on a two-way pact. However, Gay is ineligible to be a two-way player and it’s unclear whether the Warriors intend to fill all 15 of their standard roster slots. Leaving the 15th spot open would give the Dubs more in-season flexibility and would help reduce their end-of-season luxury tax bill.

If the Warriors only carry 14 players on standard contracts to open the season and don’t trade or waive anyone with a guaranteed salary, Gay would have to beat out fellow veteran wing Rodney McGruder and any other camp invitees for that final spot.

The full terms of Gay’s one-year deal aren’t yet known, but it will be worth the veteran’s minimum, which is all Golden State can offer. We’ll have to wait to see whether it includes any guaranteed money.

Pacers GM: Hield Extension Talks Stalled But No Trade Imminent

The Pacers are in no rush to deal Buddy Hield, according to general manager Chad Buchanan, even though extension talks have stalled, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star reports.

Hield has a base salary of $18.6MM with a cap hit of $19.3MM in the final year of his four-year contract. The news broke last week that the team was exploring trade possibilities after Hield was dissatisfied with Indiana’s extension offer. Buchanan believes extension talks will be rekindled at some point.

“Buddy is somebody that we love having on our team,” Buchanan said. “We want him on our team this year. The business of basketball comes into play at times. We’ve had talks with him about an extension. Those talks are at a halt, I’d say, right now, but that’s not to say that they’re done. We’d like to have Buddy with us.”

Buchanan also downplayed the notion that the team was shopping the sharpshooter wing.

“We have no intention of trying to move Buddy. But it’s also our job to listen if opportunities come to help us improve the team,” he said. “That’s what we have to do as a front office. Our intention is to have Buddy on the team this year and have him be a big part of our group.”

The GM also anticipates Hield will report to camp next week and won’t be distracted by the status of extension talks.

“I think Buddy is going to come in and be professional and be excited to be part of this team. He loves being part of this group,” Buchanan said. “He loves playing with coach Rick (Carlisle.) He and Tyrese (Haliburton) obviously have a connection together. He’s going to come in and play well and we’ll see what happens moving forward with him and the team.”

Hield will likely have to play a different role if he remains a Pacer. He was a starter for most of last season but the Pacers are intent on moving Bennedict Mathurin into the lineup. The Pacers also made a splashy free agent addition in Bruce Brown, who could cut into Hield’s minutes.

Matt Ryan Returns To Timberwolves On Two-Way Deal

2:25pm: Ryan has officially re-signed with the Wolves on a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log. As we relayed in a separate story, Ryan’s roster spot for the regular season isn’t necessarily safe, as he’ll have to compete with Minnesota’s camp invitees to retain his two-way spot.


7:57am: After remaining on the restricted free agent market for nearly three months, swingman Matt Ryan is signing a two-way contract to return to the Timberwolves, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Ryan opened last season on a non-guaranteed contract with the Lakers, but was waived at the start of December and quickly caught on with the Timberwolves on a two-way deal, finishing the season in Minnesota.

He appeared in 35 total games for the two Western clubs in 2022/23, averaging 3.6 points in 9.1 minutes per game while making 38.1% of his three-point attempts.

Ryan’s ability to hit outside shots – he’s a career 40.1% three-point shooter in 37 G League regular season appearances – helped earn him a qualifying offer from the Timberwolves in June that made him a restricted free agent. He had the option of accepting that QO, equivalent to another one-year, two-way contract, or seeking out an offer sheet from a rival suitor, which Minnesota could have matched.

Given that he’s remaining with the Wolves, it appears Ryan was unable to find a viable offer from another team this summer. He was one of two restricted free agents still on the market, along with fellow two-way RFA Theo Maledon of the Hornets.

Once Ryan officially re-signs, Minnesota will have filled all three of their two-way slots. Luka Garza and Jaylen Clark are the other two Wolves on two-way deals.

Kelly Oubre Signs One-Year Contract With Sixers

SEPTEMBER 26: Oubre has officially signed with the Sixers, the team confirmed today in a press release. Philadelphia announced in the same release that it has waived Marcus Bagley. The corresponding move was necessary because the team had a full 21-man roster.


SEPTEMBER 18: Veteran forward Kelly Oubre is signing a one-year contract with the Sixers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Oubre was one of the last prominent free agents on the market. He struggled to find a contract to his liking in free agency despite averaging a career-best 20.3 points to go along with 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game in 48 appearances (32.3 MPG) last season with the Hornets.

He’s signing for the veteran’s minimum, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets. Having been in the league for eight seasons, Oubre is in line for a salary of $2,891,467.

Oubre spent the last two seasons in Charlotte and has also had stints with Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. In 527 career games, he has averaged 12.8 points in 25.8 minutes. The main drawback in his offensive game remains his spotty 3-point shooting (33.0% for his career, 31.9% last season).

The addition of Oubre will give the Sixers a full 21-man camp roster. If his deal is fully guaranteed, it would give Philadelphia 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts.

Given the uncertainty of James Harden‘s status, Oubre could be in line for major minutes. Philadelphia has a projected lineup of Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker and Joel Embiid. Their wing depth consists mainly of Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House and De’Anthony Melton.

The Sixers were not among the teams rumored to be interested in Oubre. The Cavaliers, Mavericks and Heat were mentioned, but this could be an even better opportunity for him.

Celtics Sign Lamar Stevens To Non-Guaranteed Deal

SEPTEMBER 26: The Celtics have officially signed Stevens, per RealGM’s transaction log. He received a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, Hoops Rumors has learned.


SEPTEMBER 22: The Celtics have reached an agreement with free agent forward Lamar Stevens, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Stevens spent the last three seasons in Cleveland after going undrafted out of Penn State in 2020. He appeared in 62 games last season, starting 25 of them and averaging 18.1 minutes per night. The 26-year-old recorded 5.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .448/.316/.702 shooting and was one of Cavaliers’ most reliable perimeter defenders.

After having his non-guaranteed team option picked up by the Cavs, Stevens was included as an outgoing piece in the three-team deal that sent Max Strus to Cleveland via sign-and-trade. He received a $400K partial guarantee and landed in San Antonio in that transaction, but was waived later in July by the Spurs before his $1.9MM+ salary for 2023/24 became fully guaranteed.

Stevens was said last week to be drawing interest from a handful of teams, including Houston, Miami, and Minnesota, but he ended up agreeing to sign with the Celtics after working out for the club in August.

The details of Stevens’ agreement with the Celtics aren’t yet known. Boston is currently carrying just 11 players on fully guaranteed salaries, with Dalano Banton, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Luke Kornet on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed minimum-salary deals. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Stevens signs a similar contract, perhaps with a partial guarantee in the ballpark of the ones Banton and Mykhailiuk received ($200K apiece).

Damian Lillard Rumors: Heat, Raptors, Bucks

While the Trail Blazers and Heat could rekindle their Damian Lillard trade discussions at some point, each team has an understanding about where the other stands, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, who says there’s a “fundamental disagreement” between the two clubs about what a fair deal for Lillard looks like.

As Chiang explains, the reason why there has only been limited communication between Portland and Miami in the last few weeks is because a deal sending Lillard to the Heat only seems possible if one of the two teams decides to deviate from its current plan — in other words, the Blazers would have to accept much less than they want to for Lillard, or the Heat would have to offer more than they currently intend to.

A league source who spoke last week to Portland’s front office was told by the Blazers that a trade sending Lillard to Miami is “unlikely,” according to Chiang. We may find out soon whether that’s true or if it’s simply posturing.

Here’s more on Lillard:

  • Amid rumors that the Raptors appear to be the frontrunners to land Lillard, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link) is the latest reporter to say that he’s hearing more chatter about Toronto than any other suitor as of late, though he remains wary of how seriously to take that chatter.
  • Whatever a Raptors offer for Lillard looks like, it won’t include 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, league sources tell Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Toronto’s front office loves Barnes and hasn’t made him available via trade, according to Helin, who adds, “It’s not that Toronto took him off the table — Barnes was never in the same room as the table.”
  • In his latest update on Lillard, Marc J. Spears of ESPN identified the Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, and Bulls as teams besides Toronto and Miami that have shown interest in Lillard since he asked to be moved. While most of those clubs have been mentioned as potential suitors this offseason, we haven’t heard much about Milwaukee. Based on their current cap situation and trade restrictions, the Bucks would almost certainly have to include Jrue Holiday in any offer for Lillard.

Jrue Holiday Says He’d “Love To” Sign Extension With Bucks

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is very much open to the idea of signing a contract extension that would keep him in Milwaukee beyond his current deal, he tells Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“Would love to,” Holiday said. “Before I even won here, I think I said I’m a Buck for life and I mean that like deep in my heart. I don’t want to play for any other team. I think we have a chance to continue to do great things as the Bucks team and organization, so I want to be in Milwaukee.”

Holiday will earn a guaranteed base salary of nearly $35MM in 2023/24, with another $6MM+ available in incentives. He has a player option on his deal for the ’24/25 season, but could decline that option in order to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Holiday will become eligible to sign an extension on February 23, and there’s a belief among NBA observers that the way the Bucks handle that situation could have a ripple effect on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s own future in Milwaukee. In order to keep both players, the Bucks will have to keep winning — Holiday says the team’s success in recent years has increased his confidence as a player.

“Being with the Bucks, having three of the best seasons I’ve had in my career, and not only that but having a winning record, being a top team or a top-three team, I don’t think I was ever on a top three-team until I came to the Bucks,” he told Owczarski. “Growing up in the ’90s and always hearing, ‘Yeah, you’re one of the greatest if you win,’ so I’m thinking like, yeah, I’m that dude – or one of them – because of how I won, because we have won, and also because we’re on a winning team. … I knew I was good, a good basketball player, but I didn’t really give myself that credit until I was on a team that won.”

Holiday is coming off another stellar year, having earned the second All-Star berth of his career – and the first in a decade – in 2022/23. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game in 67 appearances while claiming a spot on the All-Defensive First Team for a third time and winning his third Teammate of the Year award.

While Holiday would be eligible to receive a 40% raise (up to his maximum salary) on a new deal, the taxpaying Bucks will have to weigh how much they’re willing to offer the veteran guard, who will turn 34 next June and has generally been the third option on offense behind Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton since arriving in Milwaukee.