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Blazers' NBA Finals Odds Stay Stagnant Despite Win-Now Trade for Jrue Holiday

The Portland Trail Blazers' odds to win the NBA Finals did not change after their trade for Jrue Holiday.

Peter Dewey

The Blazers are +50000 to win the NBA Finals after adding Jrue Holiday.
The Blazers are +50000 to win the NBA Finals after adding Jrue Holiday. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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The Portland Trail Blazers made a win-now move late on Monday night, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Portland acquired Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a pair of second-round picks.

The move brings Holiday back to Portland, where was briefly traded as part of the Damian Lillard deal a few seasons ago before he was re-routed to Boston. Simons, who will be in the final season of his contract in the 2025-26 campaign, will aim to help Boston make the playoffs with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out of the lineup to at least start next season.

While Portland appears to be making a win-now move, and building around the core of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and some of its other young players, oddsmakers aren't sold on the Blazers making much noise in the Western Conference.

Portland's odds to win the NBA Finals remained the same at DraftKings Sportsbook at +50000 after adding Holiday.

While Holiday may improve Portland's floor -- and its defense -- in the 2025-26 season, he isn't a superstar player that would completely transform the franchise overnight. Still, the last two teams to add Holiday -- Milwaukee and Boston -- ended up winning titles with him in the fold.

In a loaded Western Conference, Portland appears to want to make a push for a top-six seed after it nearly made the play-in tournament in the 2024-25 season.

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Peter Dewey
PETER DEWEY

Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.

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