Jrue Holiday’s value to the Portland Trail Blazers is showing up in the kind of detail that usually gets overlooked: the way he talks, the way he carries himself, and the way that attitude can rub off on everyone around him.
That’s why a recent remark from new head coach Micah Nori stands out. While talking about his first conversations with some of Portland’s top players, Nori shared a comment Holiday made to him, via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “Jrue did tell me if he was on one of our Minnesota teams the last three years - any of those teams - we would have won a championship,” Nori said.
“So there was that. But he was great.”
It’s a blunt, confident line, and it says a lot about the veteran Portland just brought in. Holiday has spent years proving he belongs in big moments. He helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 championship as their lead point guard, then played a major role in the Boston Celtics’ 2024 title run as one of the league’s best role players.
When Boston had to trim salary because of the second apron, Portland moved quickly to get him. That decision fits the direction the Blazers appear to be taking, even after the surprising Ja Morant trade shook up the roster picture and sparked some speculation about whether Holiday could be moved too.
Right now, that does not seem to be the plan.
And it makes sense. Portland is putting together a roster that mixes young talent with established veterans, and Holiday is exactly the kind of player who can steady that group. He knows what winning at the highest level looks like, and he brings the kind of edge that teams need when the games get serious.
That matters even more with Morant in the mix. He is set to be one of Portland’s top players right away, alongside Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard, and Donovan Clingan. The Blazers clearly want him to be a star, and having Holiday рядом him gives Portland a veteran voice who has already done the heavy lifting on championship teams.
Holiday’s presence should help the Blazers chase wins, but it could also help shape Morant into the kind of player who can lead a title-level team. That is the real reason Portland should hold onto him. The quote from Nori makes the case perfectly.
In Other News...
Moda Center Fight Just Sparked Serious Political Blowback
The political fallout around the Moda Center renovation has spilled well beyond the arena itself, with two powerful labor groups breaking from Portland City Councilor Mitch Green as the city weighs a pair of expensive public works projects. Green has been one of the more skeptical voices on the arena overhaul and the Bull Run water filtration plant, arguing that big-ticket decisions should still be judged by whether they serve Portlanders broadly, not just the interests of the groups pushing them.
For the Trail Blazers, the arena debate is now tied to a larger fight over who pays, who benefits and how much public money should be on the table. The renovation has already drawn scrutiny over costs and funding sources, while the water project has faced its own delays and criticism, leaving Green in the middle of two projects that have become as much about city politics as construction. [Read more 🡒]