Report: Indiana Pacers expected to have 'some level of interest' in Jrue Holiday after Damian Lillard trade
According to a report from Zach Lowe in ESPN, the Indiana Pacers are expected to be a team that will have interest in Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday.
Holiday, 33, was traded to the Blazers as a part of the deal that sent guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The expectation is that Holiday will not remain with Portland long term.
The two-time All-Star just wrapped up a terrific season. He averaged 19.3 points and 7.4 assists per game for Milwaukee, and he did so while being an elite defender. Holiday was named to the All-Defensive First Team last year, his fifth All-Defensive team selection.
Several clubs could use his services. Any contender who needs guard play or wing defense would have a role for Holiday, and his contract ($72.3 million remaining, at most, with a player option next season) is more than fair. He will have a ton of value to teams in many positions.
The Pacers, according to Lowe, may be one of them.
"As Brian Windhorst notes, expect Holiday and the Blazers to have a range of trade options — perhaps including Miami, Philadelphia, the LA Clippers, and others. (Two under-the-radar teams that could make good Holiday fits and are expected to have at least some level of interest, sources said: the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. The Pacers may determine in the end that the price is too high, and that it's too soon to flip future assets for veterans.)," Lowe wrote.
The Pacers have a ton of guard depth, but presumably some of it would be sent away in any deal for Holiday. They are also in need of defense, something that the team addressed in their exit interviews at the end of last season.
Holiday would help, and his abilities both on-and-off the ball would pair well with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The 14-year vet is a 36.6% three-point shooter for his career, but that number was 39.5% during his time with the Bucks. Being next to a stud shot creator helped Holiday with his outside jumper, and a pairing with Haliburton would be similar.
On defense, Holiday would instantly solve some of Indiana's biggest problems. He is a solid fit with the blue and gold, though his skills would plug in well with just about any team.
The difficulty in any actual Pacers interest in Holiday comes down to his contract. As Lowe notes, Indiana may balk at the price for a talent like Holiday at the current time of their rebuild. They will need to cash in their chips eventually, but they have Haliburton under contract for six more seasons. Being patient has value.
Additionally, the blue and gold have to be wary of Holiday's player option. He could be a free agent after the coming season, and losing him for nothing would be a bad outcome for the building Pacers. In the absence of an extension or long-term agreement, a trade would be risky.
Despite all this, his talent and fit are undeniable. There's a reason that Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle gushed about Holiday back in March.
"I'd like somebody to name five other basketball players that are better than Jrue Holiday," he said. Holiday scored 51 points against Indiana that night, his career high. "Guy's an amazing player on both sides of the ball."
Indiana players agreed. "I've been saying it for a long time, I think Jrue is the best two-way player, at least guard, in the league," forward Jordan Nwora said. He and Holiday were teammates in Milwaukee. Guard Andrew Nembhard shared that he hoped to work out with Holiday in the summer.
Both of Holiday's brothers, Justin and Aaron, have previous experience with the Pacers franchise. If Indiana can find a trade price that makes sense and isn't too risky, perhaps they could acquire the most talented brother of the three. But it would come at a high cost, and they will be bidding against other teams. It can't be ruled out. Training camp begins in just five days for the Pacers.
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