After the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio, guard Jrue Holiday made it clear he wants to back in Portland again for 2026/27, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
“I hope so. I don’t like being traded and moved and stuff,” Holiday said. “I like being a part of something and building with the team and seeing the progress and going through the progress with them. So I hope so. I’d love to be here.
“Honestly, just kind of how we ended the season, fighting and clawing, knowing that we have a team that has proven ourselves to some extent to be a playoff team. We have a good mix of older gentlemen and then young guys that are still hungry. You hear them. They’re still in the gym now and it’s been two days (since) we lost in the playoffs. So I’m really excited for that.”
Freeman reviews Holiday’s season, writing that the veteran guard provided much of what the team wanted when it traded for him last June, though injuries and “inexplicable turnovers” were an issue in the 35-year-old’s first season in Portland. Freeman also spoke to a couple of NBA scouts to get their opinion on Holiday — both praised his professionalism, but one said he’s overpaid while acknowledging he could be an invaluable mentor to Scoot Henderson.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Freeman’s season review series continues with third-year forward Toumani Camara, who played all 82 regular season games and finished fourth in the NBA in total minutes. Camara was critical of his performance in 2025/26, calling it “up and down,” but he was still pleased with some of the strides he made. “I think he’s a solid player and a piece that you keep for the future and just keep developing him,” a scout told Freeman. “He’s 26, so he’s an older third-year guy. He’s probably not developing a new skillset. But he keeps getting better with his shooting and he defends. His IQ and rebounding are good; he’s a good offensive and defensive rebounder for his position and he’s a smart player who plays within himself, doesn’t try to do stuff he doesn’t do. This is a piece you keep and grow with. He would be great if you put better players around him.”
- Veteran wing Matisse Thybulle says he has “no expectations” ahead of unrestricted free agency, according to Freeman, but added that he’d “love” to return to the Blazers. Injuries were a major issue for Thybulle over the past two seasons, appearing in just 45 regular season games over the span, but he was playing a rotation role at the end of 2025/26. Both scouts Freeman spoke to praised Thybulle’s anticipation skills as a defensive roamer, but said he’s not nearly as good at on-ball defense. One scout said the Blazers should let Thybulle walk in free agency due to availability concerns. “All I’ve heard about him is he doesn’t want to play basketball,” the scout said in part. “So are you really going to count on him to produce for you when you’re trying to win games?“
- Freeman also reviews the seasons (subscriber links) of Yang Hansen, the 2025 first-round pick who just finished his rookie campaign, and third-year forward Kris Murray, who’s entering the final year of his rookie scale contract. To put it kindly, neither scout Freeman talked to was high on Murray’s game. “I just don’t understand what they’re doing with him,” one scout told the Oregonian. “I think this is a kid they just missed on. Is he a power forward? Is he a small forward? He probably needs to be a small forward, but he can’t do that. I would just try to move on from this kid, to be honest.”