The Portland Trail Blazers are not moving on from Jrue Holiday, and that alone tells you a lot about how they’re approaching this awkward backcourt mix.
Portland views the situation as something it can either make work or sort out later. That means no buyout for Holiday, even with Ja Morant now in the picture and the roster suddenly crowded with guards who all have a case to play major minutes. The bigger long-term issues are still there, too: Scoot Henderson is extension-eligible through the start of the 2026-27 season, and the Blazers will eventually have to think about trading Holiday or Morant to create room to renegotiate and extend Deni Avdija.
For new head coach Micah Nori, though, the first real task is simpler to state and harder to solve: decide who starts.
As things stand, Portland has six players who can make a real argument to open games - Morant, Holiday, Damian Lillard, Toumani Camara, Avdija and Donovan Clingan. Avdija and Clingan look like the clearest locks, which says plenty about where they stand in the team’s young core. Lillard also appears likely to be in the opening group, especially after Nori joked when he met the franchise icon earlier this summer: "I said I can promise you that if you can walk, you will start."
That leaves Nori sorting through Morant, Holiday and Camara for the final two spots, and each brings something different. Morant gives Portland another level of playmaking.
Camara offers defense. Holiday brings both, which is why he stands apart from the rest of the logjam.
Holiday, now 36, is no longer at the peak he reached in his best years, but Portland saw enough in his first season there to know he still belongs in a winning lineup. He’s still the kind of guard you trust when the game tightens up. He can organize the offense, hit shots, defend multiple positions and steady things for a team that wants to keep moving forward.
That versatility is exactly why Holiday shouldn’t be the one pushed to the bench conversation. Portland needs to find out whether Morant or Camara fits best next to him, not the other way around.
Camara’s two-way profile makes him an easy fit in almost any group, while Morant’s path to the starting five depends on proving that Portland needs his playmaking with the first unit. That case matters, especially after the Blazers led the league in turnovers per game last season at 16.5.
Nori may have to test different combinations as the season goes on to see what works best. His contract structure gives him a short window to solve a roster that has become unusually crowded at the top. Still, he’s stepping into the job with real expectations, and with a rare chance for a first-year coach to guide a roster that wants to win now.
He made clear on SiriusXM NBA Radio in July that he’d be prepared to handle a tough lineup call if it comes to that.
"Well, I don't know," Nori said." I take people at their word.
You can say it, and if it has to come to that, I'll say, 'Hey, you said you didn't care,' number one. But the second thing is, I really believe guys like Ja, Dame [Lillard], and Jrue [Holiday] that have been through it and been around want to win.
Winning is the most important thing. If you can put yourself in a position to do that, whether it's coming off the bench or starting, as long as you get your minutes, I would never say it's easy."
That’s the core of this whole setup. Portland is trying to build a winning culture in the new Dundon era, not tear things down again.
That’s why the plan was never to buy out Holiday after the Morant deal, and it’s why the Blazers should be looking at him as a starter. He remains one of the best all-around players on the roster, and in a backcourt this crowded, that matters.
In Other News...
Blazers Just Changed Everything Around Ja Morant And Deni Avdija
Portlands first major move under new owner Tom Dundon came with real star power, as the Trail Blazers landed Ja Morant from Memphis in a deal that reshaped the roster in one swing. The trade sends Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies and comes without any draft picks changing hands, a structure that tells you Portland was willing to bet on upside rather than sit on caution.
For a team trying to chart a clearer direction, Morant brings the kind of ceiling few available guards can match, even with his recent value dip making the gamble easier to debate. The Blazers now have to sort through what this means for the rest of the backcourt and for their longer-term roster picture, because a move this big rarely stops with the player it directly brings in. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Face A Delicate Yang Hansen Decision Behind Donovan Clingan
The Trail Blazers frontcourt picture already has a clear headliner in Donovan Clingan, but Yang Hansen remains one of the more intriguing long-term pieces on the roster. Portlands mix of size and depth gives the coaching staff some flexibility, and it also lets the team be patient with a rookie season that has already come with its share of challenges for Hansen. Rather than forcing the issue, the Blazers are treating his development as a broader project, with an eye on what he can become down the road.
Tiago Splitter has made it clear the organization is trying to strike the right balance with Hansen, and that caution matters with a young player still finding his footing. Portland does not need to rush him with Clingan firmly in the starting role, and the extra bodies in the frontcourt give the Blazers options as they sort out minutes and responsibilities. The real question now is how aggressively they choose to accelerate Hansens progress, and what that path looks like if they decide he needs more runway. [Read more 🡒]