Lakers Rumors

Report: Jrue Holiday interested in joining teams like Lakers and Heat

Published by
Jason Simpson

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in Wednesday’s blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, may not stay with his new squad for long.

The 33-year-old is a candidate to be moved again, and according to a report, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are among several organizations that interest him.

By the looks of it, Holiday seemingly wants to join a contending team. The Blazers likely won’t be contenders in the immediate future, so if the two-time All-Star wants to challenge for another title, it may need to happen with a different team.

Holiday won a championship in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks and may be looking to add another ring to his collection.

Flipping Holiday for some assets would also make sense from Portland’s perspective. The team has no shortage of young talent in its backcourt, meaning Holiday’s services would perhaps be more valuable elsewhere in the NBA.

The Lakers probably feel good about the current state of their roster after a very productive summer. However, a chance to add a player like Holiday doesn’t come around all the time, so L.A. may want to explore its options regarding a possible trade for him.

The Heat, meanwhile, are an interesting team to monitor for Holiday due to their disappointing finish in the Lillard sweepstakes.

“Miami doesn’t have a choice but to try and get in on the Holiday sweepstakes,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “How funny would it be for Miami to give Portland their Lillard package for Jrue?”

Miami made the NBA Finals last season but has had a quiet offseason while many other contenders have improved.

“The thing about Pat Riley is he doesn’t care about public perception,” another executive told HoopsHype. “If he thinks the move will make the team better, he’ll do it and won’t care about the optics if he missed on a guy previously.”

Holiday averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game last season while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also one of the league’s best defenders and has been named All-Defense five times.

Assuming the Blazers do send him to another team at some point in the near future, Holiday could end up playing a key role in this season’s title race. Whether that helps or hurts the Lakers remains to be seen as they try to make another deep playoff run.

Jason Simpson

Jason is excited about the LeBron James era of Lakers basketball and hopes that the end result will be multiple championships.

Published by
Jason Simpson

Recent Posts

Report: 5 Lakers ‘non-negotiables’ leaked from private team meeting

The J.J. Redick era is off and running for the Los Angeles Lakers, and part…

November 13, 2024

Lakers reveal updated timeline for Christian Wood’s left knee injury recovery

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood has yet to play a single game in…

November 12, 2024

Report: Klay Thompson chose Mavericks over Lakers because he believed they had a better chance to win a ring

Before longtime Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade…

November 12, 2024

LeBron James hyped for release of 4K version of Nintendo 64

A social media post from Sunday night purported that a 4K model of the iconic…

November 11, 2024

Report: Anthony Davis had difficulty keeping eye open after contact from Jakob Poeltl

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis got hit in the eye while blocking a shot…

November 11, 2024

George Karl blasts Bronny James after underwhelming G League debut

Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, made his G League…

November 10, 2024