Lakers Should Pursue Trade for Trail Blazers' Jrue Holiday amid Latest NBA Rumors
Jrue Holiday has already been traded once this offseason. The 33-year-old point guard moved from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Portland Trail Blazers in the three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Now, it's possible Holiday could already soon be on the move again.
There's been growing buzz that the Trail Blazers could look to flip Holiday, a 14-year NBA veteran who has continued to play at a high level in recent years. And there's a list of rumored teams that he may be interested in joining.
According to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, these are the teams that "appeal" to Holiday as potential trade destinations: the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
If the Lakers want to solidify their backcourt picture and strengthen their chance of making a deep playoff run during the 2023-24 season, they should try to do what it takes to acquire Holiday.
LeBron James isn't getting any younger, as the 38-year-old superstar is entering his 21st season. Los Angeles needs to maximize its window of contention, and if it hopes to win another championship before James retires, it needs to surround him with as many talented players as possible.
Holiday would immediately become one of the Lakers' top players. He's a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive team selection who helped the Bucks win the NBA title in 2021.
Last season, Holiday earned the second of his two All-Star nods, as he averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists in 67 games during his third and final year in Milwaukee.
It's not known what Los Angeles would have to give up in order to land Holiday. But if it could find a way to acquire him and still keep D'Angelo Russell and/or Austin Reaves, then it would have a formidable backcourt to go with its star duo of James and Anthony Davis.
Like all trades, the Lakers would need to weigh the cost with the potential reward. If Portland's asking price is too high, then Los Angeles shouldn't overpay for Holiday, who has a $39.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
The Lakers' roster would be improved with Holiday on it for next season, and potentially the year after as well. But they don't have a ton of assets to trade in exchange, so they should be diligent in negotiations.
That being said, Los Angeles should be willing to part with a role player or two and/or a couple of draft picks to try to bring in Holiday. He would immediately boost the team's odds of reaching the playoffs for the second straight season and possibly help take it even further after losing in the Western Conference Finals earlier this year.
By adding Holiday to a core already featuring James and Davis (and potentially still Russell), the Lakers would be a formidable team, one that would surely compete with the best in the West in the upcoming season.
