Proposed NBA Trades Target Jrue Holiday to Join Miami Heat Roster

Trade proposals have surfaced linking Portland Trail Blazers point guard Jrue Holiday to the Miami Heat following the franchise's acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo and an agreement to sign free-agent guard Klay Thompson.

Analyst proposals aim to resolve Miami's backcourt playmaking needs by reuniting Holiday with Antetokounmpo, his former teammate during the Milwaukee Bucks' 2021 championship run. Holiday averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 assists for Portland during the 2025-26 season.

One proposed three-team framework sends Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick to Miami, while shipping forward Nikola Jovic and two future second-round picks to Portland, and sending guard Davion Mitchell to the Houston Rockets.

An alternative proposal involves sending forward Andrew Wiggins to the Trail Blazers while routing Holiday and wing Tristan da Silva to Miami in a transaction involving the Orlando Magic.

Despite the hypothetical trade frameworks, Portland has shown no immediate inclination to deal the 36-year-old veteran. New Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori publicly emphasized Holiday's organizational value during team discussions.

He is a big part of what we've got going, said Micah Nori, Head Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland currently holds a congested backcourt featuring Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, and Scoot Henderson alongside Holiday. Recent media evaluations ranked three Portland point guards among the top 27 at their position for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

In the published rankings, staff writer Frank Urbina detailed the impact of Portland's veteran guard rotation.

Now 36, veteran floor general Jrue Holiday is the first of three Portland Trail Blazers point guards on this list, which leads us to believe at least one of them could be on the move, either before the season or by the trade deadline. Regardless, Holiday proved he's got plenty left in the tank last campaign, putting up healthy averages of over 16 points and six assists per game while shooting nearly 38 percent from three. He was also hugely impactful thanks to his scoring, creating and defending, helping lead Portland to the playoffs despite it being a tumultuous season for the organization. Holiday made the Blazers nearly 10 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor in 2025-26, hence why we believe he'll remain one of the 27 best point guards in the league next season, wrote Frank Urbina, NBA Writer for HoopsHype.

Urbina also addressed the evaluation of Morant, who placed at No. 20 on the list following significant missed time over recent campaigns.

Morant has played in just 79 games over the past three seasons, not only due to suspension, but also because of a major shoulder injury, to go with calf soreness and an elbow sprain. And considering Morant's game is so dependant on elite athleticism while being on the slighter-of-frame-end of the spectrum, there's legitimate concern as to how he'll look once he's back to playing full-time. Will Morant still be that high-flying, super-explosive finisher with the Blazers?

Will injuries continue to slow him down? Morant's lack of three-point shooting (he's a career 31.1 percent from three) also raises concerns, especially if he loses a step athletically. For those reasons, Morant will be one most interesting point guards to watch in 2026-27, wrote Urbina.

Evaluating Lillard's placement at No. 17, Urbina cited expectations surrounding his return from a torn Achilles sustained in April 2025.

We're putting a lot of faith in Damian Lillard's rehab process here, as the future Hall-of-Famer hasn't played since April 27, 2025, when he tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers. By all accounts, Lillard's rehab has gone well, however, so after shaking off some rust, we expect to see Lillard playing at a high level again sooner rather than later. Will Lillard ever reach that All-NBA level again?

Or even All-Star level? That remains to be seen, and history tells us it won't be easy, as Lillard is now 36 years old. The previous oldest player to tear his Achilles, miss an entire season and then make another All-Star appearance after recovering from the injury was Anthony Mason, who was 32 at the time of his injury and 34 when he made another All-Star appearance.

For comparison's sake, Lillard was 34 when he blew out his Achilles. … That's all to say: It's difficult to predict the level Lillard will play at once he does return. Either way, as fans of the game, we're excited to see his return, as Lillard will be playing on a strong Portland team, alongside another thrilling floor general in Morant, making the 2026-27 Blazers potential League Pass darlings, wrote Urbina.

Holiday remains under contract with Portland for $34.8 million in the 2026-27 season and holds a $37.2 million player option for 2027-28.