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 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.
In theory, Jrue is the type of PG the team needs. Low usage, organizes the offense, plays defense. Get more shots to Keegan, Keon, and Lavine.
Did some quick Fanspo trade that looked interesting. Draft capital was left as TBD…
Kings get:
Jrue Holiday
Jaime Jaquez
-Get a PG and a young SF. They take on the larger contract of Jrue, but offset that with JJ.
Celtics get:
JV
Duncan Robinson
-With Tatum out next season, they get the expiring Robinson contract to come in and fit their “only 3pt shots” philosophy, while having a more reliable big man in JV. They end up saving some salary in the long run.
Heat get:
DeMar DeRozan
-Adds some instant offense to a team that seems to be lacking that.
The Kings start their new identity by adding a defensive player that still can produce on that end, and he can help mentor the young guards a bit. Jrue, Ellis, Carter, Keegan are all quality defenders which are needed with Monk and LaVine. If they retain LaRavia, that’s another 3&D guy as well. Go find a cheaper option as backup Center, even if losing JV makes Domas a bit sad.
I personally like Tre Jones. 25 can defend. Can facilitate. His assists to turnovers is fantastic. His stats shows me he would be a great fit.
I agree, Jrue is lower on the list for me. I’d rather go for Nembhard, Pippen, Ajay Mitchell, Tre Jones or even Tyus Jones maybe. I’d prefer for them to go younger, and get guys who don’t have such large contracts. Holiday may be able to get it done for 2-3 more years though, depending on what he has left.
I like Tyrus also but Tre is younger and more athletic and his playmaking is top notch. He can also score some on drives but also can shoot the 3.
PS He can also play defense. A good one on one defender. What else would you want?
Turning DDR and JV into Jrue and Jaime would be appealing. I’d be looking at it from the perspective of flipping Jrue at the trade deadline once it’s clear we’re out of the playoff race.
That’s a good move if you can swap Demar for Jrue, fixes a lot of our issues…fits in with the offense, can play make, defend and hits 3s at 37% for his career. I just hope he’s not close to gassing out any season now, he’s about to turn 35 and his contract is a bit scary like LaVine’s. Worried about his numbers being so low last year, but I guess it could be a product of Tatum/Brown getting so much of focus and touches.
He just had the worst year of his career except for his rookie season. I think that ship has sailed. Should he have only one more year on his deal, then sure, but three more? Pass.
Neither old enough nor expensive enough. Pass.
Given Jrue’s age, he makes sense for a team that is a player away from competing for a title, not a team like the Kings that are nowhere near competing for a title.
DAL makes some sense and they have the contracts to make it work (PJ Washington, Gafford).
A core of Kyrie, Jrue, Klay, AD, Lively and Flagg is pretty stout and could compete for a deep playoff run next year if healthy.
BR posited this trade:
Dallas Mavericks acquire Jrue Holiday from the Boston Celtics for PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Olivier Maxence-Prosper and a 2029 first-round pick (protected 1-14; via LAL).
I would think the Celtics are the ones who are going to have to attach a pick for someone to eat Holiday’s deal. I don’t think Holiday is worth a 1st anymore.
Agreed. 3 more years at $32-$37 mill per is steep given his age and drop off last year. And I think the PG contract and subsequent dropoff is giving teams pause about these older players on fat contracts.
And teams have the leverage over the C’s knowing Tatum is out next year and so the year after that, Jrue is that much older and ineffective.
I still can’t believe a shrewd GM like Morey gave PG the bag.
But the Kings are just an owner away from
contending for a title.
I love DeMar DeRozan’s amazing ability to get baskets (especially clutch ones) and/or free throws in isolation and overall basketball IQ, but…as every other fan on this site has commented, he’s not a good fit on this team with so many other ball-dominant players and his less-than-stellar defense (which at times is very good). While it’s easy to say Kings should never have traded/let Fox go, we’re stuck with LaVine who should not be a primary ball handler. Point guard needs to be able to play D, drive and kick, and get some 3s with decent accuracy. I love Jrue Holiday but he’s too old and won’t last on a mediocre-at-best team like the Kings. Devin Carter needs a ton of work on his handle and his jump shot, though accurate (when it doesn’t hit the ceiling of Golden One), needs alot of work as well. Don’t trade Valenciunas…he’s a valuable asset we’ve needed for a long time.
I’d love to get Holiday… 5 years ago. Seriously, he’s a solid player, but at 3 more years at an average of $34M per year for a 34 year old? Why would the Kings want that? Only a real contender would consider taking on his deal at his age.
Doing some rough math, should the Kings acquire Jrue without tradeing away DDR and LaVine, they’d be the oldest team in the league.
Picks and prospects should be the goal of this Kings team and not another aging veteran entering the twilight of his career. Is it the goal of Vivek? Probably not, as evidenced by George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Tristen Thompson, DDR…and not Holiday?
Sacramento really is where basketball careers come to die.
I guess there’s a reason why we’re called Basketball Hell. 😉
We really should be basketball purgatory because this team is in a suspended state of perpetual irrelevance. They won’t bottom out. They’ll never be good enough to compete under Vivek. That’s already been proven out at this point. We are just stuck in sustained irrelevance until Vivek is no longer the owner of the team.
In Vivek’s mind we’re a contender every year, so we can expect Jrue to be a King.
Hahaha – that is great. This would be another disastrous move. Boston is looking for a sucker and what better place to look than Sacramento.
If Boston is the go to, you gotta at least try for Derrick White. Holiday is not it.
Because the Kings (Vivek) are desperate to stay relevant in any way possible?
Stay relevant? Do you really think they are relevant right now. This trade would make them more irrelevant.
I do not think they are relevant. I think Vivek thinks they are relevant because of LaVine and DeRozan. He likes recognizable names. I think they are a non-factor in the league, other than being fleeced by other teams. Teams must have loved trading with the Kings recently.
Hmmmm – as I recall, I vehemently opposed the George Hill signing while most loved it. He was to be a so called mentor which really is a term with no value in the NBA. Having side that, yes this would be a disastrous move unless it somehow came with draft capital and a young player that fits a rebuild program.
They can either rebuild or continue to be a mediocre team in perpetuity and miss the playoffs every year. So despite their stated intentions, they are going to miss the playoffs. There isn’t a move this team will make that will move me off that opinion. The only question is how deeply they’ll mortgage the future to chase a unrealistic goal. If they start trading future picks then we can get ready for another 16 year playoff drought.
So sure, bring in Jrue Holiday, miss the playoffs again next year and do it all over again.
Start trading future picks? I think they’ve been doing that for years. Vlade did in the Stauskas/JT dump to Philly. Monte traded one for Huerter, attached one with Holmes, and a pick swap in the DDR deal. It really is mind boggling that a non-playoff small market team keeps trading and tying up future assets like it’s a major market team on the verge of a title.
I bet those two future picks from Minny and the Spurs are just burning a hole in Vivek’s pocket right now. He’s probably on the trade machine right now seeing how he can add Jrue without giving up DDR and LaVine to assemble the “All-fomer-all-star-play-in-team.”
Pretenders… Assemble!
Yeah it’s just so depressing and nonsensical. This team probably isn’t a play-in team next year if teams like the Mavs and Spurs get healthy. We are going to be capped out with a 35 win team going nowhere. Gross and at this point hopeless.
Hat-tip for Mystery Men being one of favorite movies growing up! Love it.
Depressing and Nonsensical
-yoooour Sacramento Kings!
That should be their tagline. #selltheteam. Though I’d settle for a Dolanesque letting basketball people make the moves.
Haha I love it.
I don’t think they should get Jrue, I was trying to look at what I thought the Kings might be thinking. They may think they are 1 or 2 moves away from competing for a top spot, which is a gross miscalculation on every level by them.
Try and get younger players and draft picks that match up with what the GM and Coach want.
Honestly, your last sentence would be a marked improvement even if it doesn’t work. Just having a slight hint of organizational alignment and strategy would be a win at this point. Really anything other than Vivek sending a few texts and dictating what happens while everyone else twittles their thumbs.
Start by getting Tre Jones from FA as your starting point guard. He checks all the boxes. Next trade Monk and a first to the Rockets for Jabari Smith and Cam Whitmore. Lastly trade DDR to the Lakers and 2 seconds for Grimes, Vanderbilt and Knecht. If you need to add Carter to round out the trade. Starters: Jones, LaVine, Murray, Smith and Sabonis. Left Grimes(backup point guard who plays defense) Ellis(my choice for sixth man of the year), LaRavia, Whitmore, Vanderbilt, Knecht (who can really shoot the ball), Issac Jones.
1) I think one of the Jones guards would be a solid add via the MLE. Either would be a relatively cheap and effective PG. If the plan is to bring back Sabonis as the primary playmaker, then a serviceable ball handler who is a supplemental facilitator, can hold his own defensively, and is respectable from outside, works.
2) I don’t feel Monk and 1st is going to do it or Smith Jr. and Whitmore. Monk does nothing for Houston with with Green and Shepard being more of Houston’s priority. I also don’t think they are in asset accumulation mode anymore. They are going big fish hunting this summer.
3) Lakers likely want nothing to do with DDR. I don’t think they’d want another ball movement stopper with LBJ and Luka there. They want role players with outside shooting and a legit center for rim protection and a lob threat.
You compare Monk with Brooks Monk comes out on top. He cood reasonably start but would be a solid 6th man. Smith doesn’t even start as Eason has taken that spot. Whitmore doesn’t play much at all.
That’s a pretty decent plan. I’d take a shot at Kuminga in free agency if the price is right. Also I don’t think Houston would do that trade but I like the thinking unfortunately I think Kings management is on a whole other planet.
Someone is going to overpay for Kuminga, I feel. Unless you think he’s the second coming of Pascal Siakam, I have serious reservations about him. He doesn’t facilitate, doesn’t protect the rim or defend at a good rate, doesn’t shoot from outside, and by some accounts hasn’t been the best teammate in Golden State. There mush be some reason he often finds him self out of Kerr’s rotations at times. If the Warriors are giving up on him, there must be a reason. The dude can get a bucket for sure, but the same can be said about DDR. I’d worry about fit.
You mentioned some good reasons why he might not be that expensive. I said only if the price is right. Those are the type of players we are going to have to take some chances on. I watched a lot of Warrior games this year and many of your observations are valid but I also saw moments of brilliance and he’s still very young.
Alexander Walker is a free agent and I’d like to take a good look at him but he’s one I suspect might command something more than I’d like to invest.
Btw I don’t think Siakam is a good comparison to Kuminga but a fair comparison to Walker. Kuminga maybe a Vucivic.
Another player from the 2009 draft. The Kings should have traded down that year. Insttead of Tyreke Evans, they could have picked Steph Curry, Jru Holiday or Demar DeRozan and got a future 1st round pick in the deal.
I’ll always remember that draft for Khan taking two PGs (Rubio, Flynn) right before Curry lol.
Alot of great and solid PGs in that draft:
Rubio
Steph
Beard
Darren Collison
Jrue
Ty Lawson
Jeff Teague
Pat Mills
Pat Bev
Back then the Twolves were the joke of the league-always making the wrong moves. Kangz hadn’t caught up yet.
Now they’ve surpassed the Wolves. It’s a title for Sac !
Brandon Jennings in that draft too. Didn’t pan out as well as those others.
Khan actually took a third PG,Ty Lawson, at #18 that year!
I’ll pass. Too old, too expensive. Trade DDR and get a couple seconds back? Sure, why not.
Jrue, LaVine, and DDR. Superteam, just forgotten.
“Not 1, not 2, not 3…
These are the kind of moves that worry me. Acquiring Holiday at best will slightly improve the team temporarily and set back the long term future even more. We don’t need another bad long term contract unless it came with draft capital or a young prospect.
The team doesn’t need an old player with a bad contract. If they think they need a so called point guard (I say primary ball handler) and they refuse to accept they are non championship competitive, go out and get Westbrook and or Schroder for next to nothing. Also watch Holiday closely, he’s not the dog on defense he wants was, his feet have slowed and he now gets beat off the ball more frequently. He’s still a decent defender but no longer a premier one.
Exactly the opposite of where they need to go. Younger and cheaper not older and more long term payroll.
OT: I’m sure it’s purely coincidence, and he did enter the transfer portal a while back, but the dude did work out for the Kings last Friday and today he withdraws his name from the draft. LOL!
https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3lq5ya4tgbz22
Maybe he was given feedback by the Kings and other teams he worked out for that he needed some work.
Maybe, but he’s going back to be a 5th year senior at age 23.
I like to think Vivek gave him a promise at #42 and he said, “Ahhh, fuck basketball hell, I’m going back to college.”
So the chance he wanted to be picked that late by the Kings was NIL!
Now when I read a sentence like that, it takes me back to the sheer joy an adult feels when they ride a bike for the first time in many years. Just pure joy.
Do you Vivek, do you.
Chasing another 35-year old, expensive player? Gotta desperately chase 43 wins in hopes that somehow, some way, the Kings can lose in the first round instead of losing in the play-in, or not making it all. Absolutely ridiculous.
DDR Keegan and Ellis for Holiday?
Jrue Holiday 10 years ago…YES.
Not now. I thought the idea was to get younger. We went from young/up and coming to the fall off. QUICKLY.
I honestly don’t see a path to relevancy without building through the draft. Jrue would be a joke. The team is looking to shed salary, yet the kings don’t have the cap space to absorb contracts attached to picks. The only benefit I see is the kings are gonna be forced to move off guys. This is a bottom 10 team even acquiring a point guard. The path is okc, Houston, and what Portland is doing. Get young guys and foster player development into what identity you want as an organization. That’s all I’m looking for the next few years.
Get Ben Simmons on the cheap and surround him with snipers. He has size and plays defense. Trade DDR and a second round pick for Michael Porter to play PF and move Keegan to the 3. You don’t need Simmons to shoot 3’s, cuz you got Levine, Keegan and MPJ. Move Monk back to the sixth man.
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