NBA Trade Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks finalize a deal to acquire Jrue Holiday, Houston Rockets bring in Trevor Ariza from the Portland Trail Blazers

With moratorium lifted and Draft Day just a few hours away, the last 24 hours have been dominated by NBA trade rumors. Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns was the first major deal that went through this morning, before Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a couple of more 'Woj Bombs' featuring teams such as the Houston Rockets, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Milwaukee Bucks. In this article, we take a look at some of the big deals that came to a conclusion in the final hours of Monday night.

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NBA Trade Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks make a massive move by acquiring Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans

The latest NBA trade rumors indicate that the New Orleans Pelicans are on the verge of moving former All-Star Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks for guards Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and two future draft pick swaps along with three first-round picks.

New Orleans is nearing completion of a deal to send G Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and what's described as "significant" draft compensation, sources tell ESPN. Teams are still working through the picks in trade.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020

Holiday is coming off the three most productive scoring seasons of his career. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals last season while shooting 45% from the field. The 30-year-old has two seasons left on his contract, which carries a cap hit of $26.3 million in 2020-21. His agreement also includes a player option after the upcoming season.

Besides the three future first-round picks going to New Orleans, there are also pick swaps included in the deal, per sources. All in all, this is shaping up to be a draft compensation package similar to New Orleans' deal for Anthony Davis with Lakers. https://t.co/HbnLxzUI96

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020

It was also reported earlier this evening by the New York Times' Marc Stein that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo could sign the supermax deal prior to December 21st. The future of the Greek Freak has been discussed on end in NBA trade rumors this month, and it was imperative for the Bucks to make a move. If they hadn't, losing their star player could have become reality.

The last two weeks have been filled with chatter that Giannis Antetokounmpo indeed plans to sign his five-year supermax with the Bucks before the Dec. 21 deadline to do so ...The Bucks just made a trade that suggests they must believe it

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 17, 2020

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NBA Trade Rumors: Houston Rockets get Trevor Ariza as Robert Covington heads the other way

According to Woj, the Rockets are sending two-way wing Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers for Trevor Ariza and two draft picks. The picks in question are the Blazers’ 16th overall pick in this year’s draft and their protected 2021 selection.

The Rockets are finalizing a trade to send Robert Covington to Portland for Trevor Ariza and 2020 first-round pick and 2021 protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020

Due to the Stepien Rule, which dictates that teams cannot trade back-to-back draft picks ahead of time, this deal cannot be finalized until after this year’s draft. This means that the Blazers will be drafting for the Rockets on Wednesday.

The Blazers get one of the best 3-and-D players in the league, and this trade will add some much-needed defense to their team while also bolstering the shooting.

The Rockets, on the other hand, seem to be in a going-out-of-business mode, as they are trading anything and everything they have in order to acquire draft picks and build their team for the future.

We look forward to bringing you more NBA trade rumors.