Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions from Jrue Holiday trade
By Dalton Sell
In a surprising blockbuster move, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday on Monday night. How does the move grade out?
Milwaukee Bucks’ general manager Jon Horst said on Monday that he was looking to take some “big swings” this offseason, and he may have hit a home run.
A move that appeared out of thin air, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the Bucks have acquired guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans:
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
"“New Orleans is nearing completion of a deal to send G Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and what’s described as “significant” draft compensation, sources tell ESPN. Teams are still working through the picks in trade.”"
There is no shortage of moving parts in this trade, and the current consensus is a mixed bag among fans. As the NBA fandom gets to digest this trade in the coming days, here is an overall grading of the trade from our perspective.
Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions from Jrue Holiday trade – What the Bucks traded for
On a day where we saw Chris Paul go to the Phoenix Suns, the Bucks landed quite a big fish themselves on the trade market this offseason in Holiday.
Set to make $25 million next season and potentially opt out of his $26 million player option for the 2021-22 season, the Bucks took plenty of risk here with the draft compensation involved, but it could prove to be the perfect gamble of a lifetime.
For years now, teams have been trying to pry Holiday away from the Pelicans, and it is clear to see why. First and foremost, the 30-year-old is a tenacious, All-Defensive-caliber defender, and one of the very best at the guard position league-wide. With two All-Defensive honors under his belt, Holiday has the hardware to show for it as well.
Offensively, Holiday’s pristine playmaking capabilities are just what the Bucks needed. Averaging 6.7 assists per game last season, Holiday is the secondary playmaker that Milwaukee needs to alleviate pressure off of their All-Star tandem of Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Now the Bucks have a reliable option they can defer to when necessary and even when both Antetokounmpo and Middleton are off the floor.
While his playmaking will unquestionably be a boost for the Bucks, his floor spacing could arguably be just as notable. Heaving 5.7 attempts from 3-point range per game this past season, Holiday finished the season shooting 35.3 percent. That number might not jump off the page at first glance, but it is surely a welcoming sight compared to what the team has dealt with these past three seasons at the position.
As exciting as it is to get an All-Star caliber guard on the roster, Holiday did not come cheap for the Bucks.