A Damian Lillard trade finally happened.
It was not to the Toronto Raptors, but the Milwaukee Bucks who traded for the seven-time All-Star. Toronto was seen as frontrunners for Lillard at the beginning of the week, but it did not come to fruition.
The three-team blockbuster deal between the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns saw Jrue Holiday being sent to the Trail Blazers. He is not expected to be on the team for long.
NBA Insider Shams Charania listed some destinations for the veteran guard with Toronto being a potential suitor :
“Portland is going to be active over the next several days…to find a new landing spot, rerouting Jrue Holiday to another team… Teams like Miami, Toronto, Boston…”
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania on Jrue Holiday’s future. pic.twitter.com/2dhy3193B0
— The Rally (@TheRally) September 27, 2023
Holiday could be a good option for the Raptors who are in the market for a starting point guard
Toronto signed Dennis Schroder in free agency, however he’s been a backup for most of his career.
Holiday would be a seamless fit with his championship experience and defensive capabilities as the Raptors starting point guard. However, Holiday doesn’t create much space in the half-court offense which could be seen as a liability for Toronto.
The market will surely be competitive for Jrue Holiday who was an All-Star last season.
The Raptors are probably going to do their due diligence as they always do and see what the asking price for Holiday is but it doesn’t seem likely that the Raptors will pull off a trade.
As training camp fast approaches it appears the Raptors will run their team as is going into the 2023-24 season.
Toronto didn’t want to ‘dangle’ OG Anunoby for Lillard
As mentioned, the Raptors were the rumored frontrunners for Damian Lillard. However, Toronto reportedly didn’t want to part ways with OG Anunoby.
Since Barnes was said to be untouchable in Damian Lillard trade talks, many thought a trade package would be built around OG Anunoby.
However, it appears the Raptors didn’t want to part ways with Anunoby either.
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