3. Jrue Holiday’s contract is ideal for the future
While this offseason is going to be a quick frenzy, everyone already has their eyes on the 2021 offseason. There are some big names in that free-agent class that is headlined by two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Every Laker fans’ pipe dream should be that Giannis takes a similar path to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and joins the Los Angeles Lakers after being an MVP for the Milwaukee Bucks. We have already looked ahead at stars to partner with Davis after LeBron James and Giannis tops the list.
Holiday’s contract allows the Los Angeles Lakers to be much more strategic next summer. First of all, we already have seeds planted that the Lakers want to make a big move next summer. Every contract that Rob Pelinka agreed to last offseason was for two years, at most.
Holiday is the same situation. He is under contract next season but then has a player option the following season. At 31 years old, it makes more sense for Holiday to opt-out and sign a longer deal, even if he makes slightly less in the 2021-22 season.
No matter which route he takes, the Los Angeles Lakers could essentially use him as a sign and trade to land a third star. Think of what Chris Paul did with the Los Angeles Clippers so the Houston Rockets could sign him. Holiday opts-in knowing he will be traded somewhere like Milwaukee where he can sign a bigger contract.
Or, the Lakers can do what the Golden State Warriors did with Kevin Durant and essentially “trade” him to Brooklyn for D’Angelo Russell. It makes life much easier and makes the cap easier to work with.
The important thing here is that the Lakers would have Holiday’s Bird Rights, meaning they could go over the cap to sign him to an extension that instantly gets traded to Milwaukee under the agreement that Giannis wants to come to LA.
Would the Bucks do this? Yes. Giannis would be a free agent anyway and it makes more sense to get something for losing him (the Lakers would likely throw in a young asset as well) rather than let him walk for nothing.