Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday would be a great trade target
Jrue Holiday would be a great trade target for the Philadelphia 76ers
After falling one game short of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, many were expecting the Philadelphia 76ers to take the natural next step in their progression as a team and at least make it to the conference finals this season. Due to a myriad of reasons, that didn’t exactly happen.
Instead of making a deep run in the NBA playoffs, the Sixers were swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics and now head into the offseason trying to right the ship. After parting ways with Brett Brown, the Sixers are clearly looking to shake things up before the start of the 2021 season.
On top of a new head coach, it’s also likely that the Sixers will navigate the trade market in an attempt to upgrade its roster before the season. One potential trade target that would be a great fit on the roster is Jrue Holiday. The 76ers have been connected to Holiday as a potential trade target already, and it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise.
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Jrue Holiday’s fit with the Philadelphia 76ers
Interestingly enough, the reason why I like the Holiday fit on the Sixers so much is the fact that he can play both guard positions. Even though the Sixers experimented with playing Ben Simmons off-ball during the restart, I still believe he’ll remain at the point guard position to start 2021 (unless they acquire a veteran point guard).
Short of adding a Chris Paul, Holiday could be a player that could play alongside Simmons in the starting lineup – they could move Josh Richardson to the 3, Tobias Harris to the 4, and Joel Embiid to the 5 (his normal position).
Holiday can defend shooting guards and some small forwards. For the most part, he and Richardson should be able to handle guarding above their natural positions. Though, if they do find trouble with that they could find other ways to adjust.
Offensively speaking, he’d be an ideal fit next to Simmons and Embiid. Holiday is a player that can play effectively with or without the ball in his hands. He could play off Simmons or even be the offensive initiator at times.
Holiday is a career 35 percent 3-point shooter and is coming off a season in which he 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field. He’s a productive guard that would fit in nicely as the third-best player on this roster – something that Tobias Harris and Al Horford had trouble adjusting to this past season.
Even if they wanted to move Simmons to a more natural position for his size – either forward position – they could still use Holiday as the team’s starting point guard. He has an offensive capability to be an effective lead guard and is considered one of the better two-way players in the NBA.
Being a likely expiring contract after the 2020-21 season, he’d also be a cheap low-risk option for a team that is looking for immediate success. And, if it works out, perhaps a reunion between the Sixers and Jrue Holiday could end up being a long-term solution for a franchise that is looking to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference.
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If the Philadelphia 76ers are looking for a solution in their backcourt, there might not be a better option on the trade market this offseason than Jrue Holiday.