With Jrue Holiday on the Market, Can the Los Angeles Lakers Bring Him in?

On Wednesday, Shams Charania from The Athletic broke the news about the New Orleans Pelicans looking to trade away Jrue Holiday. One of the teams linked to him is the Los Angeles Lakers.

Holiday has just come off another impressive season at New Orleans. He averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game and was a rock for the team’s young side. Although he was spectacular on defense individually, the team’s defense numbers were poor. That led to him missing out on an All-Defensive Team spot.

Despite Jrue being an incredibly consistent and solid piece, the Pelicans are trying to let go of him and go younger. Can the Lakers pounce on this?

Why do the Los Angeles Lakers need Holiday?

The Lakers unsuccessfully tried to get Kawhi Leonard to be the third star for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But instead of going for a high-profile name, they can go for Holiday, who perfectly fits them and is a more feasible option.

Holiday is a selfless player who has been a borderline All-Star for the last few years. He is an excellent defender, and the Lakers fortress would be even more formidable with his addition. Holiday also has a good on-court connection with former teammate Davis, which will help the team.

There is growing uncertainty about the Lakers losing guards in the off-season. Both Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are opting out of their player options and other teams can give them better offers than the Lakers. So bringing in Holiday can help fill the gap that both of those departures could leave.

Holiday is a respectable outside shooter, averaging 35% for his career. Not only can he knock down shots from anywhere, but he can also help create for his teammates. He can take on the playmaking duty when LeBron is on the bench and so the Lakers can have an elite playmaker on the court throughout the game.

How the trade could go about

Any trade scenario for the Lakers would include Danny Green and his $15 million contract. Kyle Kuzma would also have to be included since he is the last ‘young’ player they have on their books. Both of them failed to show up during the crucial playoff games, so the Lakers might not be too bothered about having to ship them off.

Finally, Quinn Cook would be involved for salary purposes and a 2020 first-rounder to sweeten the deal. The Lakers might hope to avoid adding that pick since the Pelicans already have a host of picks from them, but that might not be possible.

Should the Pelicans do business with the Lakers once more?

While this trade would be great for the Lakers, the Pelicans are bound to get better offers. There is no doubt that Holiday would help the Lakers get stronger, but their lack of assets might let them down. The Warriors and the Nets would the leaders in this race, and it looks likely that the Lakers will fall short.

ALSO READ – NBA Trade Rumors: How the Golden State Warriors can Acquire Pelicans’ Guard Jrue Holiday