NBA insider lists two Western Conference teams to watch for in Jrue Holiday trade
"I still think Jrue's a heck of a player, and I don't think you have to attach a pick to his contract."
It should come as little surprise that Jrue Holiday has heard his name sprout up in trade talks over the last few weeks.
With the Celtics needing to clear a sizable chunk of cap space to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax threshold, moving Holiday’s contract (three years, over $103 million remaining) would help accomplish that task.
The 35-year-old guard’s play did dip in his second season with Boston, but his championship pedigree and elite defense should make him the type of player that several other contenders would covet out on the trade market.
But which teams could make a compelling offer to the Celtics in order to take Holiday off of Boston’s hands?
ESPN NBA front office insider and former Brooklyn Nets general manager Bobby Marks joined NBC Sports Boston this week to map out a few interested parties who would prioritize a veteran like Holiday this offseason.
When NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg tabbed both the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers as viable options for Holiday, Marks concurred — while adding that he doesn’t think Boston would need to attach a sweetener (like a draft pick) in order to get one of those teams to take on Holiday’s contract.
“I don’t think a pick. Both of the two teams you mentioned, Chris, are interesting to me with Dallas and the Clips,” Marks said. “They’re interesting to me because they have two players who have player options with Kyrie Irving [in Dallas] and James Harden with the Clippers. What happens with both those players I think will play a significant role as far as what the flexibility that the Clips will have and Dallas will have.
“The goal in Dallas is, if you can try to lower that $43 million Irving option, and now that gives you operational power to maybe aggregate contracts, and the same with the Clips with Harden at $36-$37 million. So those would probably be the two teams that I would probably circle as far as if there is a Jrue potential deal to be. I still think Jrue’s a heck of a player, and I don’t think you have to attach a pick to his contract.”
Holiday is far from the only Celtics player linked to trade rumors as Brad Stevens begins the unenviable task of clearing payroll. Other names tossed out on the trade market include Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White.
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