The Cleveland Cavaliers considered a deal at the trade deadline for Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers ultimately landed James Harden in a transaction that sent two-time NBA All-Star Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“If it wasn’t Harden, it might’ve been someone else. The Cavs wondered about Boston’s appetite for moving Derrick White — a non-starter given Jayson Tatum’s speedy recovery from a ruptured
Achilles. They contemplated a Jrue Holiday swap with Portland given Holiday’s defensive acumen and championship pedigree, ultimately determining he wasn’t enough of a reliable offensive engine. There were a few other internal discussions, including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
In the playoffs, Harden averaged 19.2 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game across three series. In the Blazers’ first-round loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Holiday averaged 14.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds through five games.
Going into the 2026-2027 season, it is expected that Harden will opt in to his $42.3 million player option. Meanwhile, Holiday has two more seasons on his contract, with $34.8 million owed next season and $37.2 million owed in 2027-28, if Holiday opts in to his player option that season.
