By: Matt Anderson

The dust from yesterday's block busting, Woj bomb of Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks has not even settled yet, but the NBA coconut telegraph is already starting to speculate on what happens to Jrue Holiday. Holiday was a key piece of the deal for salary purposes, going to Portland, where his veteran presence has already been deemed surplus. It makes sense, the Blazers are looking to start fresh around the trio of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and number two pick Scoot Henderson. Holiday, who is set to make at least $36.8 million this coming season, would either disrupt the development of those three or provide a level of competency that would push Portland closer to the playoffs than the lottery (which is presumably where they are trying to be as part of the rebuild). Also, earlier this year, Holiday told Andre Iguodala's Point Forward Podcast that he was considering retirement after his contract expires in 2025. One has to imagine that means Holiday is in win-now mode, not help a(nother) franchise rebuild. As a result, the scuttlebutt is that the Blazers will be looking to offload Holiday to a contender.

Indeed, one prominent NBA writer has already speculated that the Warriors would (or should) be in the market for the 33 year-old defensive menace. In a vacuum, a trade for Holiday makes sense for the Dubs. They have the pieces to make it work in Chris Paul's $30.8 million and Jonathan Kuminga's $6.0 million. Holiday is five years younger, is an exponentially better defender, and is not the kind of player to ask a reporter if "[she] coaching." Holiday could slot into the second unit as an excellent offensive facilitator and lock down the best guards in the league. His two-way skills would be crucial on a nightly basis, especially in the playoffs. Golden State also would not have to worry about overburdening him on offense because the team could always pair him with Steph, Klay, or Wiggins. On paper, it seems like a great idea.

But in reality, it just does not seem to be in the Warriors' best interest. Part of the reason the team traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul was financial: Paul's contract for next year is totally non-guaranteed until the end of June. Ducking the second apron and re-signing Klay are the team's top two off-court priorities between now and next summer, and having the flexibility to completely shed $30 million in salaries is a key piece of that. Holiday, on the other hand, has a player option for $39.4 million next summer. If the Dubs acquired him, then one of two things happens. One: he opts in because he played so poorly he can't get a better deal in a incredibly weak free agent class. In this scenario, the Dubs not only would probably not want him, it would probably foreclose any Klay contract (barring an incredibly steep discount or truly horrible season by Klay). Two: he opts out and the Warriors cannot afford to keep him (or are forced to choose between him and Klay). At least with CP3, given his age, there is a small chance that the team can waive the final year of his contract and convince him to take a deal that allows them to still sign Klay.

There are other important reasons why trading for Jrue would not be the best idea. The Warriors have done a lot of work over the summer to integrate Paul into the team. The players, coaches, and front office have fully embraced one of Dub Nation's most hated rivals. Similarly, the team has gone to great lengths to pump up Kuminga in an effort to not only maximize the player, but also shed the label that they cannot develop talent. Trading CP3 and JK now undoes all of that. Remember in 2017 when the Celtics traded Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving after Thomas led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals on a bad hip and after his sister unexpectedly died? The ruthlessness of that trade affected the Celtics' ability to lure stars for years afterwards. If the Warriors punt on James Wiseman, Jordan Poole (after being a key piece to a title and getting punched by Draymond), CP3 (who has not even put on the jersey yet), and Kuminga in a seven-month span, that might have the same deleterious effects to the organization. And everything we have seen since Lacob took over is that the Golden State Warriors want to be seen as a player-friendly organization.

So, while Jrue Holiday would be an excellent fit in Golden State, fans need to remember that this is not 2k. There are real life, bigger picture ramifications for every move. For those reasons, I would urge Warriors fans to temper their expectations regarding any blockbuster trades in the near future.