NBA Rumors: Lakers, Raptors Among Eight Teams Hoping To Sign Justin Holiday, Per ‘The Athletic’
He may not be the biggest name available in this year’s NBA free agency period, but Justin Holiday reportedly has a number of suitors this offseason, including the Los Angeles Lakers and the defending NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors.
Citing multiple unnamed league sources, The Athletic‘s Michael Scotto took to Twitter on Thursday to report that the Lakers, Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards have all indicated interest in signing Holiday, who last played for the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were also mentioned by Scotto in his tweet, as he noted that the team is “open” to a sign-and-trade deal, which would have them receiving something in return for Holiday.
Justin Holiday, whose younger brothers Jrue and Aaron respectively play for the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers, has played for a total of six teams since joining the NBA late in the 2012-13 season as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Washington, per Basketball-Reference. In the 82 games split between the Bulls and the Grizzlies, the 30-year-old wingman averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, and shot 34.8 percent from three-point range in the 2018-19 NBA season.
Talking about Holiday’s potential impact if he joins the Lakers, Sporting News wrote that the journeyman forward/guard could help the team fill out their roster. Even with the reported signings of veterans Jared Dudley and Troy Daniels, the Lakers still have several roster vacancies as they try to build around the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers are among several teams with interest in Justin Holiday. https://t.co/WJMN3jwNnt pic.twitter.com/PBH68vyZ7T
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) July 4, 2019
On the other hand, Silver Screen and Roll predicted that Holiday might instead sign with a team that could offer him “guaranteed” playing time if the Lakers end up signing Kawhi Leonard as a free agent, or if the team settles on Leonard’s erstwhile Raptors teammate, Danny Green, as a consolation prize for missing out on the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. The publication added that money could be another major deciding factor in Holiday’s decision.
“All the Lakers can offer is the veteran’s minimum — at least until they figure out what’s going on with Leonard,” Silver Screen and Roll wrote, referring to reports claiming the Toronto forward plans to wait a few days before making his free agency decision.
“If a team offers more before Leonard signs anywhere, the Lakers probably wouldn’t figure into the equation at all.”
Conversely, if Leonard and/or Green leave the Raptors to sign with other teams, the fact that Holiday plays both shooting guard and small forward positions could potentially allow him to replace some of their contributions on offense and defense, assuming he signs with Toronto.
