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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 17: Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after missing a game winning shot during a the fourth quarter of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on December 17, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The 2026 offseason has produced no shortage of headlines in Los Angeles. The Lakers have been aggressive in transitioning from the end of the LeBron James<\/a> era to the start of the Luka Doncic<\/a> era.\u00a0<\/p>\n L.A was among the busiest teams in free agency, making a wave of signings to strengthen its depth after acquiring franchise cornerstone big man Walker Kessler<\/a> from the Utah Jazz<\/a> in a seismic sign-and-trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, what\u2019s next?<\/p>\n For weeks, the Lakers have tried to secure their power forward of the future, with Atlanta Hawks<\/a> free agent Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> at the top of the list. One area of the Lakers roster that hasn\u2019t been talked about much is the backup point guard position.<\/p>\n The Lakers Trade Idea That Lands Savvy Veteran Guard Jrue Holiday GettyPORTLAND, OREGON \u2013 NOVEMBER 03: Jrue Holiday<\/a> #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> at Moda Center on November 03, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n To help with table-setting duties, the Lakers signed two-way standout Collin Sexton<\/a>. But Sexton, a former first round pick, isn\u2019t nearly the passing playmaker the Lakers will need from their backup point guard. There\u2019s one under-the-radar trade target out there that the Lakers could acquire.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a hypothetical scenario, the Lakers engage the Portland Trail Blazers and Detroit Pistons<\/a> to discuss a three-team trade revolving around two-time champion point guard Jrue Holiday. Here\u2019s a proposed framework that sends the aging-but-still-effective Holiday to L.A.<\/p>\n Lakers receive: Jrue Holiday and a 2031 second round pick (via DET)<\/p>\n Blazers receive: Jarred Vanderbilt<\/a>, Jake LaRavia<\/a> and three second round picks (one via DET)<\/p>\n Pistons receive: Jaden Hardy<\/a> and Dalton Knecht<\/a><\/p>\n It is important to reiterate that this trade is hypothetical and intended as a fun \u2014 and legal! \u2014 suggestion. So, why might all three teams agree to this deal?<\/p>\n Why Portland, Detroit and L.A. Say Yes<\/p>\n For Detroit, moving a pair of distant second round picks for two stars with untapped potential is far from a bad investment. Plus, with the Pistons owning the full traded player exception, Hardy and Knecht wouldn\u2019t add a dime to the team\u2019s payroll. Not bad.<\/p>\n For Portland, it is about the right time to move on from Holiday. A 36-year-old former All-Star, Holiday remains an effective player, but the Blazers may no longer have enough room to play him significant minutes after acquiring Ja Morant<\/a>. Not to mention Damian Lillard<\/a> is expected to return next season from a torn Achilles tendon, while young guard Scoot Henderson<\/a> needs an opportunity to carve out a bigger role and develop.<\/p>\n By moving Holiday in this deal, the Blazers shave over $16 million in payroll and generate nearly $24 million in tax space. They also shore up their rather thin wing depth by adding Vanderbilt, an elite on-ball defender, and the 24-year-old LaRavia.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Lakers land the perfect backup to Holiday. A two-time champion, Holiday is one of those players that brings a winning impact wherever he plays. He showed that in Milwaukee and then again in Boston.<\/p>\n In just 29 minutes last season, Holiday averaged roughly 16 points and six assists. Against the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> in the playoffs, maintained that scoring average while logging over seven assists and five rebounds per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Absorbing Holiday\u2019s hefty contract will be a challenge for the Lakers, but the veteran guard\u2019s impact, in all his little-but-big way, is unmatched.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 17: Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after missing a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":803811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3796],"tags":[7,6,478,470,4073,4072,675],"class_list":["post-807603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-orleans-pelicans","tag-basketball","tag-nba","tag-new-orleans","tag-new-orleans-pelicans","tag-neworleans","tag-neworleanspelicans","tag-pelicans"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117066258447045540","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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