The Dallas Mavericks are in for an interesting offseason ahead. After infamously trading Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, the team needs to win sooner rather than later.
With Kyrie Irving expected to be on the shelf for most — if not all — of next season with a torn ACL, the Mavericks should be in the market to acquire guard depth to pair with Davis, and the incoming first overall pick, presumably Cooper Flagg.
The Athletic’s Christian Clark, and Jay King mention Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as a potential target for the Mavericks. Holiday, 35, has three years and roughly $103 million left on his current contract.
“It’s no secret the Celtics hope to cut salary this offseason,” King said. “Because they would need to shed about $20-25 million of salary just to get under the second apron, never mind the luxury tax, it seems inevitable they will trade at least one starter this summer.”
“Moving Jrue Holiday could make a lot of sense for them financially,” he added.
Clark mentions Holiday’s resume as a player as a reason why the Mavericks should target him in a trade.
“The Mavericks’ expectations this season are championship or bust. By trading Luka Dončić only eight months after he led Dallas to the NBA Finals, general manager Nico Harrison signaled that anything less than winning it all was a failure,” Clark said. “Dallas needs someone who can pick up the ballhandling slack while Irving is out and still make sense alongside Irving once he returns. Holiday can do both of these things — and he fits Harrison’s defense-first ethos, too.”
The two-time All-Star and 2021 NBA champion averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 assists with the Celtics this past season. Despite his age and steady decline, Holiday can still provide a positive impact for a team looking to contend right now.
