As the dust begins to settle following the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks, there’s an intriguing subplot to watch unfold—namely, which team might successfully acquire Jrue Holiday from the Blazers.
Several teams have been mentioned as possible destinations, with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers being popular contenders for the versatile guard. However, as the Bucks demonstrated, significant trades can emerge unexpectedly from unexpected sources. In that vein, the Golden State Warriors could potentially enter the conversation.
Surprisingly, an NBA insider believes that the Warriors might find a way to insert themselves into trade discussions for the newly acquired Blazers guard. Against all odds, if the Warriors can persuade the Blazers to entertain a trade involving Chris Paul as the centerpiece, they should not hesitate to make the move, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“The Golden State Warriors, who have interesting young players on their roster, plus a few far-out draft picks and swaps when Stephen Curry might be retired, could join the race [for Jrue Holiday], provided they’d be willing to re-trade Chris Paul,” Windhorst said, via NBA Central.
In reality, there isn’t a workable hypothetical trade proposal from the Warriors that doesn’t involve Chris Paul, considering the veteran’s substantial salary of over $30 million.
Nevertheless, this concept appears to be one of the most implausible scenarios, viewed from the perspectives of both the Warriors and the Blazers.
RELATED: Chris Paul Did Not Like Being Asked About Coming Off the Bench For the Warriors
The Blazers’ stance is relatively straightforward: they acquired Holiday from the Bucks with the clear intention of using him as a valuable asset in a subsequent trade to bolster the return they received for Damian Lillard.
The Warriors, on the other hand, may not possess the most enticing assets among potential trade partners. Additionally, receiving Chris Paul as the focal point of such a trade might not align with Portland’s trade preferences.
Furthermore, the Warriors might not be overly eager to part with promising talents like Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody, along with their remaining draft assets.
Additionally, during the offseason, the Warriors made a concerted effort to integrate Chris Paul into their veteran lineup, making them less enthusiastic about the prospect of trading him without giving him an opportunity to contribute in a regular-season capacity.
Nevertheless, as the NBA has shown, surprising developments are not out of the realm of possibility.
