The Milwaukee Bucks sent shockwaves through the NBA when they traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard. The trade may be for the best, but former NBA star Carmelo Anthony explained why he believes it was disrespectful.
“It’s no friends in business. It’s no friends in business. But there’s a fine line between respect and disrespect,” Anthony said on the March 28 episode of “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero.” “As a player, I can accept being traded. But like respect, if you respect me as a player and if you say you respect your players, then have a conversation with me. Especially a player of Jrue’s caliber who did what he did in Milwaukee and was a pivotal piece to Milwaukee’s success.”
Anthony elaborated further on why the Bucks’ abrupt decision to trade him felt disrespectful.
“I do think that was disrespectful. They should have respected him enough to be like, give him some time,” Melo said. “Like I know Jrue’s situation, I know his family. I know his kids, I know what’s going on, I’m involved in two players that’s on my roster. Not just a paycheck. So because I know these things, I got to give you the respect as a man, though.
Anthony made 10 NBA All-Star teams and six All-NBA teams throughout his career. Anthony was traded three times in his career: 2011, 2017, and 2018.
Jrue Holiday’s Thoughts on Bucks Trade
Holiday shared his candid thoughts on the day he was traded on the March 26 episode of The Draymond Green Show.
“I’m taking a nap. I see a call from the GM and I’m like ‘I’ll call him back’. Then two seconds later my agent called me. So I pick up his call, he’s like ‘You talk to him?’ I’m like ‘Nah bro, I’m sleeping.’ He’s like ‘Well, you just got traded so you should probably call him back.’ I ended up looking at my phone, he ended up texting me everything that was happening, like ‘Yeah we traded you here, here.’ And then I ended up calling him and he ended up saying like ‘Yeah we traded you for Damian Lillard.’ So, I also had no clue.”
Holiday shared a sentiment similar to Anthony’s on the trade itself.
“I think for me it was just a shock because, at least let me know 24 hours in advance, not five minutes in advance. And maybe I’m asking for too much. It’s kind of like, I mean, we won, I won there.”
Jrue Holiday & Celtics Want to Work Out Extension
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that the Boston Celtics and Holiday want to work out an extension soon.
“He is eligible on April 1 too. He’s already eligible now, but he – this sounds funky – he gets more eligible April 1. There’s fewer limits on what he can sign April 1. And I do think that there’s interest on both sides to get something done sooner rather than later. Whether they do or not, I don’t know,” Windhorst said on the March 25 episode of “The Hoop Collective.”
Now that April 1 has arrived, they can agree to a deal. If and when they do, the Bucks may have to face Holiday up close for the next several years.
