The Milwaukee Bucks finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak before falling in five games to the Indiana Pacers. When the Bucks saw success, they often used a particular lineup around Giannis Antetokounmpo that was young, athletic, and switchable defensively. With Damian Lillard sidelined for likely most of next year, the Bucks would be better off building a team with those priorities in mind rather than chasing nostalgic reunions, such as Jrue Holiday.
Jrue Holiday would be fun but is not what the Bucks need
With news coming out of Boston that they will be looking to offload salary via trade this season, many Bucks fans see an opportunity to reunite Jrue Holiday with his old team that he helped lead to a title back in 2021. As fun as that may be for Milwaukee Bucks fans, it may not be the right move.
Despite Holiday's pedigree, he shot his worst percentage since 2019 on almost half the attempts and had his worst scoring season since his rookie year last season. His poor shooting continued in the playoffs, something Bucks fans are far too familiar with. The team would also be adding another player in their mid-30s to a roster that spent most of last season as the oldest in the league. It is safe to say Holiday's best years are likely behind him.
In the past several seasons, Jon Horst and the front office have prioritized veteran players in their offseason signings and trades. Moves for veterans via trade, like Jae Crowder and Serge Ibaka, or signings like Delon Wright and Danilo Gallinari have not panned out in the past. Making a trade for an aging star is another move that could come back to bite the Milwaukee Bucks down the line.
As the league embraces five-out offense and switchable defenses, the Bucks' roster has continued to look old and slow on most nights. Adding older players like Jrue Holiday would only exacerbate that problem. It would also likely cost valuable younger assets and maybe even draft capital (of which Milwaukee has very little) to make them happen.
The Bucks were at their best without Lillard when they fully embraced youth and athleticism. The lineup of AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr, and Kevin Porter Jr., around the vets of Giannis and Bobby Portis, was phenomenal in its limited minutes.
That lineup was a team-leading +51.2 net rating per NBA.com in the regular season (most of that coming in that eight-game win streak). Although Jrue Holiday would fill the hole at point guard, letting Giannis Antetokounmpo run the offense seemed to take his game to an even higher level late last season and is something Doc Rivers and the staff should lean into heading into 2026.
Going into this off-season, the team should focus on retaining members of that lineup, along with other young pieces like Ryan Rollins and Jericho Sims, and drafting a player who can step in to help improve the bench. As far as any trades go (that don't involve Giannis), they should be focused on getting young players that fit the same fast-paced, athletic, switchable style of that lineup.
With how the last several seasons have panned out, doing anything to bring back the memories of 2021 seems like a fun idea. Jrue Holiday is certainly someone that fans would enjoy seeing in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform again, but Milwaukee can't let nostalgia get in the way of what's best for the franchise's future.