Did they get this wrong?

The Portland Trail Blazers made the decision to trade away star guard Damian Lillard last offseason, moving him to the Milwaukee Bucks. One of the key pieces that the team received back for him was point guard Jrue Holiday.

Holiday had no interest in being part of a rebuilding team like the Trail Blazers so the organization shipped him to the Boston Celtics. However, the deal that Portland made did raise some eyebrows with many believing that they didn’t receive enough in return.

Portland received guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams III and first-round draft picks from Golden State in 2024 and Milwaukee in 2029. While the deal looks okay on the surface, both Brogdon and Williams have been hurt throughout their careers. Williams only played in six games for the Trail Blazers this season due to injury.

NBA personalities Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo blasted Portland on the Bill Simmons podcast for their trade of Holiday earlier in the year.

“Feels a little light”

“I just wonder how much research they had done on the Rob Williams part. I mean clearly, it’s not zero but you’re going, okay Brogdon who gets hurt a lot and then the defensive anchor we are going to put next to Ayton, like even when Williams was healthy, you thought he was hurt. I mean, it was really tough.”

For Portland, they likely could have gotten a better deal back for one of the better glue guys in the league. But it feels like the team wanted to rid themselves of any distractions. However, doing so has hurt them long-term, unless they can hit on the two draft picks.

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