Getty Jrue Holiday defending LeBron James.
Damian Lillard trade watch is over with the star guard getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jrue Holiday was one of the players sent back to the Portland Trail Blazers but at 33 years old, he’s not a logical fit with a young rebuilding team.
Holiday is a Los Angeles, California, native and played at UCLA. He’d be a logical player for the Los Angeles Lakers to keep an eye on. However, the Lakers would have to hope the Trail Blazers plan to hold onto him for a while. Currently, the only players on the roster eligible to be traded that would make a trade for Holiday possible are LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
When December 15 arrives, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent are some of the bigger names who will be eligible for a trade. If Holiday manages to stay on the Trail Balzers until December 15, the Lakers could consider sending Russell, Hachimura and rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino to Portland.
For the Trail Blazers, they would get three players who are 27 or under that would fit into a rebuilding timeline. The Lakers would be getting a five-time All-NBA defender. The team would miss the scoring of Russell and Hachimura but Holiday averaged 19.3 points a game last season while playing elite defense.
Los Angeles Lakers Named Among Appealing Suitors for Jrue Holiday
At 33, Jrue Holiday isn’t going to want to play for a bad team. According to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Holiday is interested in six teams, five of which made the playoffs last season.
“League sources told the Miami Herald on Thursday that the [Miami] Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers are destinations that appeal to Holiday,” Chiang and Jackson wrote in a September 28 column. “That’s important because Holiday, 33, can become a free agent next summer with a player option worth $37.4 million in his contract for the 2024-25 season.”
The Clippers and Lakers are his hometown teams so they’d be logical landing spots. The Clippers have more flexibility to make a trade now, which could give them the edge. The 76ers should also be a team to watch with a James Harden for Holiday swap being a realistic option.
“Jrue Holiday should have been Defensive Player Of The Year 2 or 3 times.”
Los Angeles Lakers Acknowledge Expectations This Season
The Lakers are coming off a season where they made it to the Western Conference Finals. They were able to retain many of their key players this offseason while adding notable players like Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood.
Heading into last season, nobody expected much from the Lakers but now they’re expected to compete for a championship this year. Head coach Darvin Ham isn’t worried about the added hype.
“You don’t have any expectations around you, you’re just existing,” Ham said at a joint press conference with general manager Rob Pelinka on September 28. “I want to live. I came here for those expectations. … You don’t run from it. You just embrace it.”
Things were looking dire for the Lakers just a year ago but Ham is already noticing much better energy surrounding the team.
“It’s been a great summer,” Ham said. “The energy in the building has been great. Everybody’s been working top to bottom, just because they know it’s something special. We’ve re-established the competitive gene that this organization has been known for at a high level.”