Lillard trade opens door for ultimate Spurs-type player to land in San Antonio

The NBA saw yet another blockbuster offseason trade go down on Wednesday when star Damian Lillard was shipped to Milwaukee in a three-team deal. That deal is pretty far removed from the Spurs, though star Jrue Holiday becoming available should garner the team's attention.

Holiday was acquired by Portland in the deal, though he won't play for the team and is already being shopped around the NBA. In fact, teams such as the Clippers and Heat are all expected to be in the mix for Holiday, but the Spurs should be too.

Jrue Holiday would be a great fit for the Spurs

On the surface, adding a 33-year-old aging all-star to a young team probably doesn't make sense, but it would in this case. The Spurs have a need at point guard, and he'd allow them to fill that hole while also addressing another issue.

San Antonio has 17 players under contract, and they would need to trade at least three players to match Holiday's $34.9 million salary. The most likely candidates would be Doug McDermott, Devonte Graham, and Cedi Osman, and moving all three would allow the team to reach the 15-man roster limit.

As for what it would cost the Spurs in terms of draft picks, one possible option is that the Spurs trade Charlotte's lottery-protected 2024 first-round pick as well as three second-rounders to Portland in a deal for Holiday. San Antonio will potentially have three 2024 first-round picks, and Charlotte's pick is a coin flip at best to convey, making the pick expendable.

Even still, they should be much better next season, and that pick is also top-14 protected in 2025, giving Portland two bites at the apple. Throw in three second-round picks, and the Spurs could have a strong offer. Whether the Spurs would offer that to Portland or if Portland would accept it is still unclear, but Holiday would be a great get for the Spurs.