Now that the Pelicans’ point guard is on the trade market, we look at three ways the LA Clippers could try to trade for Jrue Holiday.
We learned today that Jrue Holiday is being made available, and that several contending teams are already pursuing him. While the LA Clippers haven’t been specifically named, it’s hard to imagine that they’re not one of the teams kicking the tires on a trade for Jrue.
It’s going to be hard for the team to make a trade happen. We’re all aware that the asset count is pretty low for the Clips. But if Jrue, an LA native, wants to come to the Clippers, a deal could definitely be worked out.
Holiday would fit perfectly on the team. A defensive point guard who can run an offense and hit shots is the exact thing the Clippers need. To that end, we’ve got three different routes the Clips could go to try to get him on our team.
These aren’t necessarily the exact trades that would make it happen, but they’re the framework of a deal that the Clips could offer. Whether the Pels would accept is another thing altogether, and might depend on where Jrue wants to go.
We need to temper our expectations, of course. If we’re being realistic, it’s going to be tough for the Clippers to get Jrue on our team. So these aren’t exactly the trades that I think gets the deal done. Rather, they’re the avenues the Clippers could pursue.
Let’s get started, with what I think is the most likely offer.
LA Clippers Jrue Holiday Trade #1: Most Likely Offer
Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams are a nice trade piece for the Clips. They provide shooting from both players and great guard defense from Bev, and they come in at ~$20 Million.
Adding Landry Shamet to this trade gives the Pelicans a young player who could develop into something nice, and who can make shots at a high clip already.
For the Clippers, this trade would probably be a no brainer. Jrue does everything that Beverley does, while also being a much more impactful player on the offensive end. The big question here is: do the Pelicans do this?
The issue here is the timeline for the Pelicans. They’re probably looking at contending sometime in the next five years or so, and this package is mostly a win-now package.
If Jrue has no desires one way or the other on where he goes and is willing to re-sign anywhere, then this is a package that probably gets outbid by other teams. But if Jrue says that he prefers to be in Los Angeles? It could come down to the packages that the Clippers and Lakers can put together, and then we’ve got a fighting shot.
If it moves the needle (which it quite possibly wouldn’t), New Orleans may also want somebody like Mfiondu Kabengele or Terance Mann in this trade, to get another prospect. I think the Clippers would and should acquiesce to that.