It is likely to be a busy offseason in the trade rumor department for the Sacramento Kings. The latest one is that Sacramento is considering trading for veteran point guard Jrue Holiday.
It should be noted, however, that in Monday’s edition of The Stein Lein, Marc Stein reported that the Dallas Mavericks are expected to explore trade options for Holiday, and he does not mention the Kings.
After the Kings disappointing exit in the NBA Play In tournament, 9th place finish, and the departure of De’Aaron Fox, the team is looking for a true point guard to help bring more structure to the offense. Domantas Sabonis declared in his exit press conference that the team needs a point guard. Combined with the team’s deficiencies on defense, landing Holiday would make some sense as a short-term solution.
It has been reported this season that the team is not planning a full tear down, once again indicating the Kings remain in win-now mode, whether the fan base truly wants that or not given the ceiling is a constant question down here in basketball hell.
It also has been reported that the team is open to trading DeRozan, which makes sense so the ball moves more and there is more shots to go around.
The Boston Celtics guard would immediately alleviate some of the defensive problems – the Kings ranked 22nd in defensive rating and a league-worst 30th in opponent three point percentage. Even at 34, Holiday would help because of his ability to defend the point of attack, which would also stop putting so much pressure on Sabonis to protect the rim, something he isn’t great at to begin with.
According to Cleaning The Glass, last season Holiday was:
In the 81st percentile in defensive on/off rating for points per 100 possessions
89th percentile in half-court points per 100 plays on defense
79th percentile in opponent effective field goal percentage differential
81st percentile in transition defense in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions
72nd percentile in block percentage for guards
Pairing him with Keon Ellis at times could offer the Kings a stout backcourt ball stopping tandem.
Holiday could also help organize the offense while not demanding the ball (last season was the lowest of his career in usage rate) to have an impact – ideal-next to high usage players like LaVine and Malik Monk (and DeRozan if he is still here). It would also allow the offense to flow more through Sabonis and get Murray additional shots. Not to mention his championship and playoff experience.
The issue is he is 34 years old and coming off a season in which he averaged the least points, assists and minutes since his rookie season. His steal percentage has been on a decline in recent seasons also. He also is owed over $100 million over the next three seasons. This could limit future flexibility.
But the real storyline here is that based on the reports out there so far this offseason the Kings are still in the mindset it can compete with a few moves around the existing core. Holiday could be a nice stabilizer even if not a long-term solution.