Lakers Should Pursue Jrue Holiday Trade to Cement Contender Status amid NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers may feel content with their roster.

After an NBA offseason as productive as the one this front office just put together, you could even argue L.A. should feel good about the makeup of this team.

Still, any team in this position—on everyone's short list of championship contenders—must keep their eyes and ears open for an opportunity to upgrade. And one just so happened to surface right in front of the Purple and Gold.

Jrue Holiday, a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive honoree, finds himself temporarily teaming with the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers. However, he knows he's likely to leave soon and has already assembled a list of six "teams of interest," which includes the Lakers, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

That's all the motivation L.A. should need to get involved in the Holiday sweepstakes. He could be a perfect fit with this roster and quite possibly the final piece of its championship puzzle.

Point Guard Could Be a Weakness

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 20: LeBron James #6 and D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during the game against the Denver Nuggets during Game Three of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

While the Lakers have no glaring holes on the roster, one could reasonably argue that point guard could be its weakest position group.

D'Angelo Russell puts up solid counting stats, but he can be inefficient on offense and indifferent on defense. L.A. saw too many of his shortcomings late last season and wound up yanking him out of the starting lineup for what wound up being its final postseason tilt. The Lakers even built an escape clause into the two-year deal he inked this summer by getting him to waive his implied no-trade clause.

Behind Russell—or, with a great training camp, maybe in front of him—is Gabe Vincent, one of the latest undrafted players to blossom with the Miami Heat. He plays with all the hustle and intensity you'd expect from someone forged in the franchise's famed #culture, and he made some really big shots in their latest playoff run. However, his much larger regular-season sample suggests he's merely a so-so shooter (career 33.9 percent from deep), and he never wows you with shot-creation.

Again, this is a fine two-man rotation, but bringing Holiday into the mix would make this spot a significant strength. His skill set covers just about everything on the basketball court, making him an ideal third option since he can bend his approach however his team needs.

Adding Holiday Would Keep Him Away from Rival Contenders

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers is defended by Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game at Fiserv Forum on February 02, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks defeated the Clippers 106-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Remember how we said on the intro the Lakers were merely one of six teams that interest Holiday? Well, nearly all of the other clubs loom as potential roadblocks on L.A.'s championship path.

The rest of the list includes the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. Everyone but the Bulls will enter this season as legitimate contenders, and if anyone could elevate Chicago to such a status, it's probably a two-way connector like Holiday.

The mention of Philadelphia, where Holiday started his NBA career, might be particularly relevant to the Lakers, since a Sixers' swap could potentially improve two teams' championship chances. If this wound up being a three-team trade featuring Holiday to Philly and James Harden to the Clippers, both clubs could see the deal as their ticket to a title.

So, even if this wouldn't be the Lakers' main motivation to swing a trade, it's still a potentially significant benefit worth mentioning.

L.A. Must Operate with Extreme Urgency This Season

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 22: LeBron James (6) of the Los Angeles Lakers hangs his head during the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets' 113-111 Western Conference finals game 4 win at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday, May 22, 2023. The Nuggets swept the best-of-seven series 4-0 to advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

James' teams have almost always been evaluated by the championship-or-bust scale.

However, the pressure placed on this specific team feels heavier than most seasons. It's not just a win-or-go-home scenario, the stakes are more like win-or-maybe-never-get-another shot.

James turns 39 this December, and while his stat sheet doesn't always show it, he is feeling the effects of aging. He used to be someone who suited up virtually every night. Now, he's coming off three consecutive campaigns in which he's missed more than 25 games.

He can't play at a championship level forever. He contemplated retirement just this offseason, and after this season, he'll only have a player option left on his pact.

The Lakers should expect nothing from James beyond this season, so they should pour every possible resource into giving him the best shot at success. It's hard to come up with a logical argument for why adding Holiday wouldn't increase the Lakers' championship chances.