Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday discusses signing long-term extension

Jrue Holiday has certainly been a bright spot for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, and he assured on Sunday that he is here to stay for the long haul.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Holiday has signed a four-year extension with the Bucks worth up to $160 million. Following the move, Milwaukee now has their leading trio of Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton locked up for the next several years, and they are undoubtedly excited about it.

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Holiday spoke to the media on Monday about the extension and what factors helped get to this point. One thing that particularly stood out was how highly he spoke of everyone within the organization and how they embraced him from the moment he touched down in Milwaukee:

"“[It was] probably the first call that I got, just them being super transparent, talking about how they want me here and they want me to be here for a long time. That they love my game and that they appreciate everything that I did, even off the court, so it really made it seem like they wanted me to be here… Great people, they make you feel like family. You want to be around them. You wanted to have that character around you and your family.”"

Considering that the Bucks shipped out a package revolving around their draft capital over the next several years and two key rotational players in Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, it was evident that they wanted Holiday at any cost. After 38 games with the franchise, it is clear to see why, as the guard has been a seamless fit from the start.

Jrue Holiday wants to fulfill his championship aspirations with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Since he set foot in Milwaukee, Holiday has given the Bucks the answer they have longed for in the backcourt. His season stats include 17 points on .509/.390/.816 shooting splits, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, providing a two-way presence that is arguably the best at his position.

His versatility to defend the toughest opponents and orchestrate the offense when necessary has worked wonders alongside Antetokounmpo and Middleton. The two-time All-Defensive honoree rounds out a formidable trio in Milwaukee that he believes is capable of achieving special things.

Of course, the Bucks remain right in the thick of title contention this season, but Holiday hopes that this team has just scratched the surface of what they can achieve in the foreseeable future:

"“I think that building together is something important to me. Being able to know that it’s not just one year we get to try to figure this out or do whatever. There’s going to be consistency, and for me, that’s huge, so that was definitely encouraging… To be able to build over the years is something that you see and you’ve seen teams do it.”"

With the Holiday signing taken care of, the Bucks have positioned themselves for a bright future ahead for years to come. As long as these three remain healthy, Milwaukee will be a yearly staple in the title-contending conversation without question.

The biggest question the remains is whether Holiday is the piece that can help the Bucks overcome the postseason issues that have hindered them over the past two years. Subpar play in the backcourt had plagued Milwaukee on the big stage, but Holiday has shown the potential time in and time out this season that he could be the missing piece to the puzzle.

In the immediate aftermath of the deal, Holiday seems just as happy as every Bucks fan that he will be sticking around for the long term.