One day you’re exactly where you believe you should be, and the next day your life changes entirely. Life comes at you fast! Just yesterday, Jrue Holiday was talking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about his desire to play the rest of his career with the Bucks.
24 hours later, the 33-year-old realizes he’s part of the blockbuster, three-team deal that is bringing Damian Lillard to Wisconsin. This means that if thing stay as they are, Holiday will be wearing a Trail Blazers jersey this upcoming season.
Let’s take a look into the details involved in this package deal that was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
As Jrue is yet to comment on his surprising trade to Portland, let’s look back on what he said yesterday about retiring in Milwaukee.
“Would love to [sign an extension],” he said this Tuesday. “Before I even won here I think I said I’m a Buck for life and I mean that like deep in my heart. I don’t want to play for any other team. I think we have a chance to continue to do great things as the Bucks team and organization so I want to be in Milwaukee.”
The veteran star is just coming off an excellent campaign in Wisconsin, averaging a career-best 19.3 points per match while shooting 47.9% from the field.
“Being with the Bucks, having three of the best seasons I’ve had in my career, and not only that but having a winning record, being a top team or a top-three team, I don’t think I was ever on a top three-team until I came to the Bucks,” he concluded.
Lillard on the other hand, admitted to feel excited over his new destination, even though he mentioned plenty of times how he wanted to play for the Heat.
“The casuals won’t be addressed but the trailblazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully. Stay tuned Excited for my next chapter!” he wrote on social media.
Jimmy Butler showed his disappointment by making a tampering claim to investigate the Bucks after reaching deal for Lillard
It’s clear to see that Heat star Jimmy Butler was crossing his fingers to share the court with Lillard in Miami next season, as he decided to use social media to denounce the Milwaukee club for tampering just as he found out that Dame is heading to the Bucks.
“Yo NBA, man, y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering,” Jimmy posted a video of himself on his Instagram account. “You do. I’m just going to put that out there.”
Jimmy Butler responds to Dame being traded to the Bucks 👀
(via jimmybutler/IG) pic.twitter.com/i9Hm0MApQ6
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 27, 2023
Analyst Stephen A. Smith, on the other hand, reacted by saying that you can’t be angry at Milwaukee for making the trade. “From a basketball perspective, it is an ideal fit. You can’t blame the Milwaukee Bucks for making the deal. You also want to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy,” he said.
However, the ESPN icon did accept that Lillard had told him how badly he wanted to play in Miami next season.
“It’s with mixed emotions obviously because I’ve known him for years and I’ve known that’s not where he wants to go,” Smith revealed. “It certainly was on his list of second or third choices, but it clearly wasn’t his first choice, he wanted to be in Miami with the Heat. He wanted to be a teammate of Jimmy Butler, he wanted to be coached under Erik Spoelstra and run by Pat Riley himself,” he said on air.
