The Dallas Mavericks are expected to pursue a trade for Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday this offseason.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison sent shockwaves through the league when trading franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, but in his eyes it was a move to help Dallas win a championship as soon as possible.
Harrison is committed to building a win-now roster in Dallas, one that can compete for a ring straightaway – despite the Mavericks winning the Western Conference and reaching the NBA Finals in 2024.
He didn’t believe Doncic was the guy to help them get over that hump, opting to pair Kyrie Irving with ten-time All-Star Anthony Davis – both of whom have reached the mountain top and won a ring – not to mention four-time champion Klay Thompson.
Championship experience is clearly key to Harrison’s project and another multiple-time winner in Jrue Holiday could be on the way as the Celtics brace for a number of significant roster changes this summer.
According to Marc Stein, Dallas will explore a trade for Holiday in due course. After landing the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg’s impending arrival means the Mavericks have a few frontcourt assets to offload.
WATCH: The best of Jrue Holiday in the 2024-25 season
What could a Jrue Holiday to Dallas trade look like?
Using Fanspo’s NBA trade machine, Celtics outlet CLNS Media put together a three-team trade that sees the Mavericks land Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics won’t want to take much salary back in return as this move is simply to shed the wage bill and escape further penalties from being above the second apron.
Boston could acquire big man Daniel Gafford from Dallas, who land Holiday in return as the third team Brooklyn Nets absorb the salaries of PJ Washington and Caleb Martin.
The three-years, $104 million remaining on Holiday’s contract make him a fairly difficult asset to trade – but it isn’t impossible and it’s likely he departs TD Garden this offseason.
Jrue Holiday fits the mould of the Mavericks’ win-now philosophy
Dallas seems like the perfect destination for Holiday. The 34-year-old is one of most greatly-respected players in the league and is well known for his commitment to winning basketball.
A two-time All-Star, Holiday has two NBA championships to his name after winning with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and the Celtics in 2024.
He’s earned six All-Defense honors since being selected with the 17th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009 NBA Draft and any team would be lucky to have his qualities.
Unfortunately for Boston, they can’t afford to keep the core of their roster together for much longer and with change looming it’s expected Holiday will be a sacrificial lamb.
Dallas could line up next season with Irving and Holiday in the backcourt next to Davis and Flagg in the frontcourt – which immediately installs them as one of the conference favorites.
