Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin recently appeared on The Woj Pod to talk with Adrian Wojnarowski about the recent blockbuster Damian Lillard trade done by the Bucks. During the 16th October episode of the podcast, the Bucks head coach spoke about a range of issues that might affect Milwaukee before the new season. Griffin will enter his first season as the Bucks’ head coach with superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to rely on. However, such firepower in the team came at a cost.
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The Bucks ended up losing the likes of Grayson Allen and Jrue Holiday in the Dame trade, with Holiday going to the Boston Celtics. Griffin revealed that the phone calls he had had to make to Allen and Holiday as a result were two of the hardest he has had to make in his career. Griffin’s revelation comes just 11 days after Holiday’s wife, Lauren Holiday, posted a heartfelt message to Milwaukee fans on Instagram, thanking them for making their lives “infinitely better during the journey.”
Adrian Griffin reveals the hardest phone calls he has had to make in his coaching career
Griffin played for multiple teams in his own career. After going undrafted in the 1996 draft, he was acquired by the Celtics in 1999, before his stints with the Dallas Mavericks, the Chicago Bulls, and the Houston Rockets.
Traded twice during his career, Griffin claimed that he understood how tough such a situation could be both on the players and their families. This led him to make some phone calls to both Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen, who were involved in the three-team trade. Despite the calls being very hard to make, Griffin had no other choice. He recently told Woj:
“I have been traded twice in my career as a player. And it’s tough on the player, it’s tough on the family. So my heart really went out to Jrue [Holiday] and Gray, so I had to make those phone calls. They were the hardest phone calls I have had to make as a head coach. I wish them the best, but we had a chance to get someone that was really special in Dame so… it’s as high and elite a team as you can do in the NBA.”
While Holiday went to their Eastern Conference rivals in the Celtics, Allen was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Holiday’s wife Lauren had delivered a resounding message to the Bucks fans on Instagram recently, which resonated with many. The 2021 NBA Champion’s bond with the city of Milwaukee made the trade so much harder for him and his family.
While the trade seems to be not what Holiday had expected, it provided a huge advantage to the Bucks. Griffin knows only too well that in Damian Lillard, he has on paper the perfect partner for the Greek Freak.
Jrue Holiday will come up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the East
While Holiday was initially traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, he moved to the Boston Celtics days later. The result is that the Celtics acquired their 4th potential All-Star in Holiday.
He joins an already stacked team that boasts the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. That, along with the Big 3 of Giannis, Dame, and Khris Middleton in Milwaukee could make the Eastern Conference very interesting next season.
While Giannis and Dame are two of the most talented players in the league, the Celtics have assembled a stacked roster that will be looking to go all the way as well. Both teams have reason to feel that they have improved their roster since last season, although Holiday’s absence for the Bucks might lead to a depleted defense for Milwaukee.
