4. Aaron Holiday
Editor’s note: Aaron Holiday signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks after publication of this article.
Aaron Holiday is a recent addition to the free-agent pool as the Phoenix Suns — once again being cheap — decided not to tender Holiday’s qualifying offer for next season, making him a free agent in the process. The Suns did not do this with the intent of signing Holiday to a bigger deal.
With Holiday being such a late entrant into the free-agent pool, as well as not being a very big name as is, he is a prime candidate for the Lakers to sign with a minimum. Once again, he fits the billing of not being too old for the Lakers. Holiday will turn 26 in September.
Whether it is Russell Westbrook still in Los Angeles or the team trades for Kyrie Irving, they are going to need a backup point guard that can provide quality minutes off the bench and play both ways. That is exactly what Holiday can do.
Holiday is a two-way player who plays above-average defense while also offering a positive offensive presence on the other end. Holiday is not someone who is going to consistently take the ball up the court and run the offense but that is not what the Lakers need out of him.
The Lakers need good defense (check) and someone who can hit threes as an off-ball shooter (check). Holiday is a career 37.3% three-point shooter and he can get hot from beyond the arc. In 22 games with Phoenix last season he shot 44.4% from three in 1.6 attempts per game.