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NBA Rumors: 2 Other Teams Made Offers for Ex-Milwaukee Bucks … – Wisconsin Sports Heroics
Milwaukee Bucks fans are still feeling the aftershock of losing Jrue Holiday. It’s a tough pill to swallow, no doubt, but at the same time, the arrival of Damian Lillard has definitely softened the blow.
Holiday is widely regarded as one of the top two-way guards in the NBA today, which is why the Bucks will miss him dearly. This is also why it comes as no surprise that at least two other teams reportedly registered significant interest in the two-time All-Star before he eventually landed with the Boston Celtics.
A LOT of Interest in Ex-Milwaukee Bucks Star Jrue Holiday
NBA guru Brian Windhorst of ESPN recently dropped a very intriguing nugget about Holiday’s recent trade to Boston. As it turns out, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers were also part of the action:
“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 (h/t HoopsHype). “The reason it was three and 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 for. 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.”
“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 (h/t HoopsHype). “The reason it was three and 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 for. 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.”
As Windhorst said, it is unclear what the Heat or the Clippers offered to Portland for Holiday. Either way, both offers were rejected in favor of the massive haul the Blazers got from Boston.
This has to be a tough blow for Miami, in particular, who have now miserably lost out on both the Lillard and Holiday sweepstakes.
Celtics Win Jrue Holiday Race
In the end, it was the Celtics who won the race for Jrue Holiday. They had to give up quite a lot to land him too, which came out in the form of Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and two future first-round picks.
In case you forgot, Boston also acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards this offseason. Their projected starting five will now be Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Porzingis. While the rest of the NBA will be hard-pressed to field a more formidable starting lineup than this, Milwaukee’s Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo-led roster will have a thing or two to say about that notion.
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A father of two over-energetic boys, Paolo is the new kid on the block for Wisconsin Sports Heroics. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles — even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.
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