Jrue Holiday is a future Hall of Fame point guard who helped multiple franchises get over the hump and win a championship thanks to his elite brand of supporting stardom. Would there be reason for Rob Pelinka to give him a look? Perhaps. Does Holiday warrant more than that at this point? No.
Holiday's name and pedigree carries a lot more status than the player who the two-time champion is today. Jrue is on a clear downward trend in his career, and if the Los Angeles Lakers traded for him, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
In theory, Holiday addresses a couple of areas that currently create concern. The Portland Trail Blazers guard can bring some much-needed perimeter defense, and can fill out a little bit elsewhere with his playmaking and complementary scoring.
There are just too many problems with the idea of adding Holiday in 2025-26. The contract, the injury concerns, and the fading skill set all contribute to why the Lakers should steer clear of the decorated two-way guard.
Jrue Holiday isn’t the answer for the Lakers' needs
Let's start with the obvious that has already been touched upon: Holiday is clearly declining as a player. Age is quickly catching up to the 35-year-old and as a result, his on-court value is clearly slipping.
Holiday has by no means slipped to being a bad defender. However, anyone looking for him to be the transformative perimeter defender that his reputation holds him up to be would be missing the mark with the 2025 version of him.
The Lakers would be better off pursuing a younger player who still has upside and can figure into their plans for the long-term. Holiday is not that.
JJ Redick would not even know how many games his theoretical defensive ace would be available for. Injuries forced Holiday to miss time and key moments as a member of the Boston Celtics last season. The Lakers already have plenty of health concerns without him.
There is no wonder as to why Brad Stevens felt comfortable making him a part of the casualties from the franchise's retool this offseason. That is especially true considering the max deal Holiday possesses, greatly outweighing his skill set.
Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game during the 2024-25 regular season, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. Those numbers didn't look much more impressive in the postseason.
Holiday posted the lowest win shares and win shares per-48 of the last five years in 2024-25, as well as his worst value over replacement player, true shooting percentage, box plus/minus, and player efficiency rating. The signs of decline were there.
How much is a player contributing modestly after his prime going to be worth this season? $32.4 million. Holiday is also under contract through the 2027-28 season, assuming he picks up his player option.
So why even consider the trade at all? Well, the Lakers could easily package together a handful of expiring contracts and some sweetener to get the deal done. However, it would completely wreck their financial flexibility in the process.
Holiday has been a fantastic player throughout his career, and still adds value to a team. However, as long as those contributions are attached to that massive contract, the Lakers cannot afford the addition.