51+8, the ability is not inferior to Lillard! The Bucks Suns miscalculated, and the Green Army became the big winner
The start of the new NBA season is getting closer and closer, and teams have started training camps to start preparing for the new season! But just as everyone was preparing for the new season, there was a thunder on the ground and a big deal was born.
Yes, it's the seething Lillard, but the two sides of the trade are not Lillard's ideal home for the Heat, but a 3-way big deal between the Bucks, Blazers and Suns!
All contents of the three-party transaction:
Bucks: Get Lillard
Blazers: Get Joe Holladay, Ayton, Kamara, a 2029 first-round pick from the Bucks and a 2028 & 2030 pick with the Bucks
Suns: Get Nurkic, Little Ellitel, Keon Johnson and Grayson Allen.
It's really a surprise to see this trade, which is arguably the biggest deal this offseason, more shocking than the Suns getting Beal, and even affecting the entire league pattern!
Alphabet brother and Lillard teamed up, this is a super terrifying combination, the two of them averaged 30+ points per game last season, such a combination, never seen in NBA history, this is the only one in history, the Bucks have also changed from a single brother of alphabet to a team with a super duo, and the probability of winning the championship in the new season has greatly increased.
The Suns traded Ayton for Nurkic, seemingly weakening the interior strength, but Ayton's incompetence in the playoffs is obvious to all, although Nurkic is not playing well, but after all, tough, the firepower on the offensive end is also incomparable to Ayton! In addition, the Suns got Little, Johnson, Allen and others, which greatly enhanced the team's character roster, which was of great benefit to their impact on the championship.
The Bucks and Suns have their share in this deal, but are they really winners? No, there is actually a winner behind it.
Everyone paid attention to the combination of Lillard and Alphabet Brother and the luxurious lineup of the Suns, but they forgot Holladay!
Holladay is the main body of trading Lillard, also a super point guard, and his ability is not inferior to Lillard! Holladay played in 67 games for the Bucks last season, averaging 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and his true shooting percentage reached 58.6%, which was quite good! Especially in the March 30 game against the Pacers, Holladay exploded 51+8 data, proving his strong offensive explosiveness.
And Holladay is not only stable offense, his defense is even better, and he has been selected for the best defense team many times, and he is a super point guard who truly integrates attack and defense! While with the Pelicans, Holladay beat Lillard in the 2018 playoffs, helping the team sweep the Blazers 4-0. Coming to the Bucks, Holladay also helped the Bucks successfully win the championship, which proved his strength, although the reputation is not as good as Lillard, but the overall strength, absolutely not lost to Lillard.
Holladay is strong and practical! However, after sending Lillard away, the Blazers have decided to enter the rebuild phase, and the team will also devote themselves to developing Henderson, so after getting Holladay, the Blazers put Holladay on the trade shelf to get more rebuild chips.
Holladay was put on the trade shelf, which attracted the attention of many teams, especially the championship-level teams, the Heat, 76ers, Clippers and other teams, all wanted to take the opportunity to get Holladay, which triggered the battle for Holladay, and the Green Army is likely to have the last laugh in this Holladay battle.
After the Green Army failed to win the championship last season, the offseason made a lot of changes, the most important point is to exchange the main point guard Smart for Porzingis, which solves the problem of the team's internal offensive weakness and lack of height! But at the same time, the Green Army's backcourt has become a big problem, Brown, Tatum are not enough organizational skills, Brogdon lacks stability and defense, so the Green Army desperately wants a good point guard, and Holloday, who has both offense and defense, is undoubtedly the best choice.
Holladay and the Green Army are really a good fit! Holladay is a point guard with both offense and defense, compared to Smart, his defensive ability is not weaker than the latter, but his offense is a lot stronger than him! And Holladay's organizational skills are also excellent, able to solve the distribution problem of the Green Army! More importantly, Holladay himself is not a ball bully, and he can often play the role of not the ball when playing next to Alphabet Brother, which is seamlessly connected with Tatum and Brown! And Holladay is also very capable of key balls, which adds another insurance to the Green Army.
At the same time, the Green Army also has a great chance to get Holladay, the team has good chips such as Brogdenpu Richard, and a lot of draft picks, which is very attractive to the Blazers, far more than the Heat and Clippers, although the 76ers are a potential rival, but Harden for Holladay, for the Blazers, change the soup without changing the medicine, the interest in the team trade is not great, so the possibility of the Green Army getting Holladay is still very high.
If the Green Army can get Holladay, then they really become big winners, and the trade between the Suns and the Bucks is a wedding dress for the Green Army for nothing.
The Suns and Bucks both gained something in this deal, but at the same time lost something, and it is difficult to say how much stronger or even weaker their strength and chemistry after the trade are than before the trade! However, if the Green Army gets Holladay, it is a real reinforcement, even a fundamental reinforcement.
Think about how terrifying a Green Army with Holladay, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, White would be? Their hard power and stability far surpass the Suns and Bucks, and will become the biggest favorites to win the championship in the new season.