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.
LA Clippers Jrue Holiday Trade #2: Montrezl Sign-and-Trade
You can’t talk about the LA Clippers in the trade market without bringing up Montrezl Harrell. Trezz is a sign-and-trade candidate, and the Clippers are expected to be aggressive in that market.
If the Pelicans lose Derrick Favors, they’ll probably be looking for a backup center, and Trezz could be a good fit for that role. Add in some instant offense in Lou Williams and a young shooter in Shamet, and this could make for an attractive package.
Receiving Trezz in a sign-and-trade would hard cap the Pelicans at the luxury tax apron, which will be something in the area of $139 Million. That shouldn’t make much of an impact, though. For a team which isn’t ready to contend yet, the Pels probably won’t want to be diving into the tax.
There’s an issue with this package too, though. Depending on the timing of Brandon Ingram (presumably) re-signing, the Pelicans could just sign Trezz in free agency and then re-sign Ingram and trade Jrue.
The other issue is that Trezz would also have to agree to go to New Orleans. It’s not clear what his ambitions are, but if he has designs on getting starters minutes or playing in a big market, going to New Orleans would be a tough sell.
Still, if the Pelicans have their eyes on another free agent that would make it tough to also sign Trezz, and if they have interest in the 6th Man of the Year, and if they are willing to give Trezz enough money to attract him to the team, it’s worth the Clippers at least kicking the tires on this move.
That’s a lot of ifs, though. To me, this feels like the package that’s least likely to happen of the three, just because of all the moving parts.
This is another one that probably doesn’t happen if Jrue is open to re-signing in several locations. But, again, if Jrue decides he wants to be in LA, this could make for an attractive package.
This trade I’m just leaving as an ambiguous “superstar trade.” There’s a lot of different permutations, so I don’t even want to suggest a framework. The main point with this one would be that Paul George gets moved out and Jrue Holiday gets brought in. There’s a few different ways that could happen.
You could see just a straight up trade between the two teams – Paul George for Jrue Holiday and somebody like JJ Redick works, moneywise.
Alternatively, you could see a third team get brought in to help facilitate the trade happening. The Nets could be a possibility here, in a trade where Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie go to New Orleans, Paul George goes to the Nets and Jarrett Allen and Jrue Holiday go the Clippers.
Or, would the Warriors be willing to send Wiggins and the number 2 pick to the Pelicans in exchange for Paul George, with the Clippers getting Jrue Holiday and Josh Hart? That would give the Pels a wing and a shot at another top prospect.
The common thread, in my mind, in all of these trades is that the Clippers don’t really feel like they’re getting better in any of them, do they? At best, they all sort of feel like horizontal moves.
I do think this trade route is the one the Pelicans would be most interested in accepting. But it’s also the one that the Clippers are probably least interested in offering.
Ultimately, it seems like this would be a hard trade to get done for the Clippers. What do you think? Do you have a trade package you think is realistic? Let us know on Twitter, and keep checking back for all things LA Clippers.