Ideal Backcourt Partner to Darius Garland May Be on the Trade Block This Summer

The Los Angeles Clippers want to take a big step forward next season, building around Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard. But they have big holes to fill to become a serious contender. Fortunately, they have the resources to address these holes, including cap space and draft capital. Therefore, we can expect the Clippers to be active on the trade market all summer.

The trade market is slowly taking shape as teams get eliminated from the playoffs. It's starting to look like there may be a good number of players who would fit perfectly with what the Clippers are trying to build. This will be especially important since the free agent market is bereft of top-end talent this summer.

Clippers Could Have a Jrue Holiday Trade Opportunity This Summer

The latest veteran who could reportedly be available via a trade this offseason is Jrue Holiday. The Portland Trail Blazers exceeded all expectations in Holiday's first season there, but they may be going in a different direction next season. With Damian Lillard returning and Scoot Henderson playing well at the end of the season, the Blazers may listen to trade offers for Holiday.

In fact, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that it's widely "expected that the Blazers will field plenty of external trade interest in Holiday." At this point, neither the Blazers nor Holiday explicitly discussed the possibility of an offseason trade, but Fischer speculated that it would make sense for Portland to explore Holiday trades given the state of their backcourt.

On paper, Holiday is the exact type of player the Clippers need around Garland and Leonard. The two-time NBA champion is a proven winner and has made a big impact on every team he has been on.

He is still one of the best defensive guards in the league. He can guard multiple positions, giving his teams a ton of flexibility and defensive versatility. Offensively, he doesn't take anything off the table and doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. He shot 37.8% from three on career-high 6.8 attempts per game last season, and can fit seamlessly in a three-and-D role. When Garland misses time, Holiday can scale up to a bigger role and become the team's lead guard, making him an ideal combo guard.

The only complicating factor in acquiring Holiday is his $34.8 million salary for next season. The 35-year-old also has a player option for $37.2 million for the 2027-28 season, which could potentially take away from the Clippers' future financial flexibility. While this is probably an overpay for Holiday at this stage of his career, it also makes him easier to acquire.

The Clippers won't need to give up significant assets to trade for Holiday. A sign-and-trade involving Bennedict Mathurin or John Collins could get the deal done, especially since the Clippers can take back more salary in a trade than they give out because of their cap space. Considering that LA likely can't sign a free agent better than Holiday in the offseason, it makes some sense to use their cap space for trading for the perfect fit.

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