NBA rumors: Jrue Holiday could be the point guard answer for the Celtics
According to Adam Himmelsbach, the Celtics are interested in trading for Jrue Holiday. The only logical way for the Celtics to get Holiday (salary-wise) would require the team to trade Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, Sam Hauser, and Jordan Walsh. Boston would most likely have to give up a first-round pick or two to get a deal done. Luckily, they can offer their 2024 or 2025 picks in any deal.
Brogdon is a player who is already mad at the Celtics and could probably benefit from a change of scenery. Additionally, the Celtics could probably use Holiday due to the fact that they do not have a lot of solid defenders on their team. Most of the team's defensive issues stem from the big man spot (see Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis) but Holiday will certainly help.
It would be a great way to get rid of pressure for Kristaps Porzingis on pick-and-rolls if Holiday is there to assist. While the all-defensive player can not create offense for himself, he is able to create offense for others as a floor general. The huge negative of trading for Holiday is the fact that it doesn't really solve the injury concerns about the roster.
In recent years, it has been clear that the veteran hasn't been able to stay healthy for the entire season. Combined with Al Horford's, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robert Williams various knee issues, it's hard to see a way where the Celtics aren't heavily attacked by the injury bug at some point in the season.
NBA rumors: Pascal Siakam's extension talks are still up in the air
According to Michael Grange, the Raptors are uncertain about offering a long-term extension to Pascal Siakam. After not trading for Damian Lillard, Toronto continues to be in a very weird spot. Dennis Schroder is a very fine player in this league but is not a starting-caliber player in this league by any means.
Still, this is a team that wants to act like they are going for it while not actually taking the necessary risks. Not wanting to extend Siakam to a max deal without a second (and better) All-NBA player is very reasonable. Being willing to risk him losing in free agency for nothing is not acceptable. It seems like the team is doing the same thing with OG Anunoby, for whom they've received trade offers including multiple picks.
This is a team that has decided to be stuck in the middle for awhile. Despite all the trade rumors involving their core, they ended up trading their first round pick for this year to upgrade the center position. They ended up trading for Jakob Poeltl who is a fine starting player in this league but is not someone that can take you from a play-in team to a second round team or better.
As it stands, the Raptors seem like a roster that will end up making the playoffs but not being able to seriously challenge Boston, Milwaukee, Philly, and maybe even New York. With that in mind, it's time for the Raptors to rebuild their roster. At the very least, they need to extend their core players or trade them to make sure another Fred VanVleet situation doesn't happen.
NBA rumors: Giannis and Damian Lillard talked about teaming for a while
According to Chris Haynes, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about teaming up for years before Lillard was traded to the Bucks. The holdup was that neither player wanted to leave their original team. Obviously, over the last couple of months, the relationship between the Trail Blazers and Lillard fell apart.
For now, it seems like both players are very excited about the future of the squad. Still, things could go downhill fast if the Bucks are unable to make up for the lack of depth on the bench.
This could end up being the thing that saves the Bucks from losing Antekounmpo down the line. Even if this partnership isn't working and Lillard thinks about requesting a trade at the deadline, this was worth it for the Bucks. The team was heading towards a future where they might lose the best player in franchise history in free agency or by him requesting a trade.
At the very least, the Bucks are trying to keep Antekounmpo by trading for Lillard. A couple of years ago, the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday to entice the Greek Freak to stay long-term. If the partnership between Lillard and Antetokoumpo works, this could be something that allows the Bucks to keep their franchise player for his entire career.
