The Jrue Holiday Extension is a major win for the Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee bucks recently signed guard Jrue Holiday to a four-year extension worth up to $160 million dollars. With Holiday already being at age 30 by the end of this deal, the salary will most likely not match the production. Many were quick to say that the bucks made a mistake in extending Holiday but I would disagree on that due to a multitude of reasons. The Milwaukee Bucks needed to make a change entering this season after the past two have ended in an embarrassing fashion. Acquiring Jrue Holiday was the change that they needed. After signing the extension Jrue made it known that he is happy to be a Buck and that is great news for the front office that gave up a lot of capital to acquire him.
The Bucks needed something to fully revamp their team because it was clear that something was not working. After dropping four straight games in 2019 to the Toronto Raptors in the eastern conference finals and in the following season losing in five games to the underdog Miami Heat in round two it was obvious that the Bucks core had reached their ceiling. Making Giannis’s future with the team uncertain and he would look to see what the Front office would do to push this team to another level.
As a result, they got to work at first failing to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic, but redeeming themselves with a Jrue Holiday trade. Holiday did not come cheap for the Bucks to get in a four-team trade, The assets the bucks gave up were compared to the haul the Lakers gave for Anthony Davis. But what Holiday has done for the Bucks this season has shown that the extension and trade were well worth it.
Why The Holiday Extension Isn’t An Overpay
The Bucks currently sit at 32-17, which is third in the Eastern Conference standings. Compared to their previous past two seasons where they were the most dominant team in the regular season they are underperforming. But after two seasons of failing to make the Finals with the #1 seed, it showed that regular-season success wasn’t the key. It was clear they were going to take a step back after giving up some of their depth on the roster to acquire Holiday but his play this season has shown they made the right choice.
Holiday is averaging 17 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG while providing well above average defensive tenacity on a nightly basis. Holiday was a no-brainer upgrade from Eric Bledsoe who often became a liability in the playoffs. While Eric Bledsoe struggles on a new team, the New Orleans Pelicans where it may even be possible that he is holding them back. Holiday has become an irreplaceable component of the Milwaukee Bucks so much so that in games he has missed they are 5-6.
While Holiday isn’t putting up insane numbers the leadership and defensive he brings are much more valuable. Holiday is praised all around the league as one of the best defenders in the NBA and it is known that he has the capabilities to raise his game to another level in the playoffs. So for a small-market team that isn’t known to get premium free agents, paying a player of Jrue Holiday’s caliber is a best-case scenario. If they were to lose Holiday in free agency after giving up multiple draft picks it would have been a massive failure. Now the Bucks have locked up their big three for the foreseeable future and that is a huge win for a team looking to reach their first NBA Finals since 1974.
