Report: Pacers Interested in New Justin Holiday Contract; Strong Market Expected
The Indiana Pacers have reached out to Justin Holiday to indicate their desire to re-sign him this offseason, according to the Indianapolis Star's J. Michael.
"It's expected to be a strong market for Holiday, but the Pacers will have the first shot at securing his services," Michael wrote. "He passed on a more lucrative deal from the Chicago Bulls, who'd traded him twice already, in search of a better basketball culture and stability."
Holiday has played for seven NBA teams and overseas with Okapi Aalst in Belgium and Szolnoki Olaj in Hungary. It's no surprise the 31-year-old would value a level of continuity and be open to returning to Indiana.
The undrafted free agent out of Washington was an effective member of the Pacers rotation. He averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game, and his 40.5 percent clip from three-point range was a career high.
The 6'6", 180-pound wing was an effective defender as well. Opponents shot 40.7 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc when matched up against Holiday, per NBA.com.
The demand for genuine three-and-D players is outpacing the supply. Holiday should be able to command a healthy raise on the $4.8 million he earned from a one-year contract last season.
The Pacers could be headed for a transition. They fired head coach Nate McMillan after being swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and haven't hired a replacement, while Victor Oladipo's future remains the subject of speculation despite the two-time All-Star downplaying any rumors.
Still, Indiana will presumably have playoff aspirations in 2021 with almost all of the team's key players back. Holiday is among the few question marks.
Bringing him back fits with the franchise's short-term goals, and he could probably become a nice trade asset in the event the front office wants to move in a different direction.
