This would be a perfect fit and I think Riley makes this move. Wonder what it will take to get Holiday to South Beach?
I actually like this trade most for Phoenix. They had too many guys who want the ball a lot, Ayton is soft and overrated and I think him and Nurkic are pretty similar in talent level. They needed depth. Allen and Little will help them a lot. The lack of a real playmaker is an issue, but most of the guys in their starting lineup can kinda-sorta create for others, so maybe it'll work out. I also do like it for Milwaukee. I don't think Dame is that much better than Jrue overall, but he fits their needs better and takes a lot of pressure off of Giannis offensively. I think it's not a great return for Portland until we see what they get for Jrue. A subsequent trade will determine the quality of the overall return.
On one hand Lillard for Holliday has the feel of Westbrook for CP3. You trade a winner for a big-stats guy, which doesn’t make you better as a team, as we saw. Lilard is different than WB, but is similarly one-dimensional. Brilliant offensive player, with terrible defense and non-existent off-ball impact. OTOH, the fit with Giannis and MIL is much better than WB fit with Harden/Rockets. MIL is just hard to watch on offense sometimes. Giannis as a creator is just clunky. You have the potential here for a massive upgrade on O, while Giannis/Lopez can still anchor a top 10 defense, making-up for Lillard’s inadequacy. We didn’t have such complimentarity with WB…
Ayton is a cancer. As talented as he is, he's just a puzzy, no fight, no interest in winning. Got his bag and seems to not care anymore. That's very toxic for a team's overall morale. Nurkic had a lot of promise, but injuries have made him ineffective. Still, he's such an aggro, PHO will benefit having him there as a annoyer/enforcer. The opposite of Ayton.
It is all talk but yes, Ayton is likely not made for the Playoffs. Good to identify that before it got too late. Those guys exist. Would have had Myles Turner instead of Nurkic but one cannot choose.
The Bucks gave up a lot...maybe too much. I understand why they did, window now, and all....But, still.... I really dislike the deal for PHX. Portland wins this deal by a mile IMO, all things considered.
You have to consider that Vogel is a much more defensive coach than Monty was. Basically Ayton was not going to score that much in that system. Hence why Vogel targeted Nurkic who is not reliant on touches and plays a more physical game. You had too many scorers in the starting lineup. Additionally it also becomes more Half court with Nurk which is Playoff style.
The Lakers are NOT the best in the west. They are way too old and injury prone. GTFO of here with that.
Get Harden to Portland, pnr game with Ayton and Jrue is a perfect compliment to Harden in the backcourt. I wanted Jrue next to Harden for years. I want this to happen b/c Dame is so overrated and now everyone going to call him a winner and overhype him further while Giannis does the carrying and already won on his own. Let Harden carry Portland to the playoffs just to shove it in the Dame Dolla fanbase.
Why would Portland go after Harden when they have Scoot Henderson and could tank to get better younger players? In the long run, rebuilding is the much better option.
Harden is 34, and Jrue nearing 34 and wants to retire after his contract is up-a player option for next year. That means you're going for a 2 year win now window that you always wanted to do with Dame anyway, but he wanted out. Scoot off the bench for 2 years isnt the worst thing. He'll still play major minutes too. By the time Scoot is ready to take over at 21, Ayton is only 27, and Sharpe is only 22 ready to take a leap. I'm sure Simmons and others go in the trade, but Sharpe wouldn't be part of the package.
Let it settle down, they are going to trade Jrue to a contender for picks and younger players. If Jrue stays past the trade deadline in February which is unlikely, we would talk more.
Some post Damian Lillard trade notes 1. Lillard and Jrue Holiday are the only 2 players that are required to report and pass a physical. 2. Until both players pass their physical, Jrue Holiday cannot be traded. 3. Teams have access to player medicals. I don't see an issue arising with Jusuf Nurkic and Deandre Ayton not taking a physical as part of the trade. 4. Portland owes Chicago a top-14 protected first the next five seasons. If the first is conveyed in 2028 to Chicago, the pick swap with Milwaukee is eliminated. The Bulls will receive a 2028 second from Portland if no first is transferred. 5. Portland created a $8.8M trade exception. Phoenix a $1.1M trade exception
Well if Jrue is still in Portland past the deadline and Scoot is a really good 19 year old, they have pieces to be a top 15 defense. I just don't see Jrue not wanting to be on a contender. If he's flipped, then i'd say Miami is easily the best fit for contending and defensive culture. Makes me wonder about Harden, though. The guys options are so limited. He should have kept his mouth shut and tried to work things out with Morey behind the scenes. He's not going to play with another MVP. That's his best shot.
