It’s safe to say Jrue Holiday has been everything as the Milwaukee Bucks imagined he would be.
As the Bucks rattled off their fourth straight win Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers and improved to 15-8 on the season, Holiday has been reaping the rewards of playing in the Bucks’ system as he’s on track for his most efficient campaign. All while averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds across his 23 games on the year.
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For the significant price the Bucks paid to acquire Holiday, clearly locking up him long-term lingers on in the background as he gets used to his surroundings in Milwaukee.
That’s what makes February 26 a key date for all Bucks fans to zone in on as it pertains to what Holiday’s future could look like in Milwaukee.
As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype recently outlined, Holiday is currently eligible for a two-year, $54 million extension that obviously comes well below his market value. That changes on February 26 where Holiday will be eligible for a max contract extension of $134.9 million over four years.
Jrue Holiday has multiple options on the table after this 2020-21 season.
Of course, that is not the only route that Holiday could take as he truly holds multiple cards at this juncture. Considering he holds a $26 million player option for next season, Holiday has the ability to hit the open market in the offseason and thus putting plenty of pressure on the Bucks.
If Holiday were to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, the most that he would be able to command elsewhere under the current salary cap projections is $169.2 million over four years as Goslan details. Remember, the NBA and the player’s union locked in salary cap projections under the current CBA runs out in 2023 prior to the start of this season.
That’s certainly quite a difference in what Holiday can make and he’s already made $148.2 million over his 12-year career. The fact that the free agent class for next summer has been thinned out tremendously, in part due to Giannis Antetokounmpo signing his supermax extension late last year, opens up the door for Holiday to be one of the most sought-after players if he were to enter free agency after this season.
Holiday will certainly land a payday, regardless of what route he ends up taking. And it’s important to remember his comments on where he feels his long-term future in Milwaukee stands and the reported input he had in choosing his destination by facilitating a trade with New Orleans before landing with the Bucks.
Bigger things are on Holiday’s mind such as enjoying the growing success that he and his teammates have felt as the season progresses. And as he and the Bucks look to compete for a title this season, Holiday knows that there will be no shortage of interest and urgency from the organization to lock him down for the years to come.