Jrue Holiday ‘super excited’ about new start with Portland Trail Blazers

SAN FRANCISCO — As soon as Jrue Holiday had a chance, he made a point to find Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups to make something clear.

While being traded from the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics to the young Blazers would seem like a major downgrade, Holiday told Billups he was actually “super excited” for a new start in Portland.

“Everyone was just talking about it. Nobody was really asking me about the trade,” Holiday told Andscape after Portland’s preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 8. “Everyone was assuming I was miserable or unhappy with it. But when I got the call from [Celtics president] Brad [Stevens], I was super excited.

“Being able to see the roster, the type of players, and the character that they have, going to a team like that means a lot. Young or veteran team, I know that a team with good character guys will always be a good situation.”

The Celtics traded Holiday to the Blazers for guard Anfernee Simons on June 23. In a bit of irony, the Blazers previously traded for Holiday in 2023 in a move that sent the Blazers’ all-time leading scorer Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks before rerouting Holiday to Boston shortly afterward.

Now, the Blazers have reacquired a 35-year-old veteran with roughly $72 million remaining on his contract through the 2027-28 season. The Blazers’ motivation was to add a defensive specialist to their young roster.

Holiday won the NBA title in his first season with the Celtics and felt he made the most of his two seasons in Boston. Holiday averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists while starting in all 131 games with Boston. But those scoring and assist averages were the lowest he has had with any franchise.

“It was great. Short-lived, but we did what we were supposed to do,” Holiday said. “Obviously, things don’t always work out the way you want them to. But I’m blessed to still be playing this game.”

Holiday is expected to have a bigger offensive and leadership impact in Portland.

The Blazers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2021 and are expected to have a tough time returning this upcoming season in the deep and talented Western Conference. Lillard is back on a roster that averages 24.5 years in age, but the 35-year-old is expected to miss this season while recovering from an Achilles injury.

“I expect to be a little more of a role [offensively in Portland],” Holiday said. “Handle the ball a little bit more. Get people into actions. Maybe [I’ll be] more part of the offense here.”

Holiday is the oldest player on the Blazers, joining a slightly younger Lillard and forward Jerami Grant (31) as the only players on the roster over 27. Billups, 49, entering his fifth season as the Blazers’ head coach, also played against Holiday during his Naismith Hall of Fame career. Holiday says the age gap between himself and most of his teammates hasn’t hindered his relationships. The Blazers have four 21-year-olds and a 20-year-old rookie center in Yang Hansen on their roster.

As for the key to Holiday’s longevity, he credited “the grace of God” and doing “everything in my power to stay healthy” in a career that includes 1,037 regular-season games played. He is uncertain how much longer he would like to play in the NBA.

“I feel old, man,” Holiday said. “I’ve been talking to some of these guys and learning how old they are. There was something that happened the other day. Someone asked me if I had played against Chauncey and I said, ‘Yeah. …’

“Some of the guys are like 20, 21. I’m 35. That’s like a 14-, 15-year age gap. When I got drafted, they were like 6. That’s crazy. I think [connecting] just comes naturally. When it comes to basketball, I don’t think [age] matters. We all speak the same language when it comes to basketball, and we have a mature group — no nonsense or anything like that.”

Said Billups to Andscape before the preseason game against Golden State: “Jrue, the second we got him back he was excited. He likes what he is seeing from our young guys playing together and offensively scrapping. And he is excited to just lead the group. He’s been a blessing for me to have a guy like that.

“There have been two times already in [training camp] where I’ve stopped practice by blowing the whistle to talk to teach something. And [Holiday] said, ‘I got it. I got it.’ He’s already seen it. That’s incredible for me as a coach to be able to have that. A blessing for me and our guys.”

Holiday is also acting as a confidante to Lillard as he rehabs in Portland.

“Just staying in the loop and just talking about basketball,” Holiday said. “When you’re hurt, you don’t feel like you’re a part of what is going on, on the court. That was a big thing for me. I’m just talking to him and keeping him in the loop.”

Another big reason Holiday is ecstatic to be in Portland is that it’s by far the closest he has ever played to his hometown of Los Angeles in his 16-year NBA career.

The former UCLA star previously played for Philadelphia, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Boston, but hasn’t played in the Western Conference since 2020. Holiday, his wife Lauren, daughter J.T., and son Hendrix live in their home on 10 acres in the Santa Rosa Valley in the offseason. It’s about 40 miles west of Burbank Airport in Los Angeles County. Jrue Holiday’s parents live in Los Angeles, and he also has several family members in the Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Holiday said his wife and children took the short flight from Portland to Burbank last weekend to spend time in their offseason home. Such a quick trip home would have been difficult to do in Jrue’s previous stops. Two of Holiday’s cousins — Santa Rosa College assistant men’s basketball coach Maurice Thompson and Virgil Thompson — attended his Blazers-Warriors preseason game.

“I like being closer to home, closer to my family,” Holiday said. “I’ve already seen them a lot more flying them in from L.A. It’s been good for me. Home is always where the heart is, right? You can make any city you play in a part of your home and make it fit into your life. But for me, I’ve always been from L.A. Knowing that most of my family is there, it makes it easier for people to come travel to see me. …

“It’s a good situation for me and my family. And this team has been great for me.”

The post Jrue Holiday ‘super excited’ about new start with Portland Trail Blazers appeared first on Andscape.