Jrue Holiday is the kind of veteran that would fit around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves perfectly. While it is not an exact one-to-one by any means, imagine Marcus Smart on the defensive end but far more polished, cool, and controlled on offense. Holiday is a stud.
Murmurings started to surface online that perhaps the Portland Trail Blazers, whose backcourt is loaded up mightily, could explore the idea of buying out the aging Holiday. That would have given the Los Angeles Lakers an opportunity to chase the two-time champion as a free agent. The Stein Line reported that idea had never gained real momentum in the way some had suggested.
"Recent speculation about a Jrue Holiday buyout from the Trail Blazers is erroneous. ... League sources say Portland is not about to just usher Holiday onto the open market. The Blazers have been messaging for some time that they would like to keep Holiday."
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Holiday in purple and gold in the immediate future is a long shot, at best. With the Blazers holding tight to the future Hall of Famer, there may not be a legitimate path for him to arrive in Los Angeles.
No Jrue Holiday buyout means no Lakers union
The Blazers have no real reason to buyout Holiday, because the veteran guard could likely still get them a decent amount on the trade market, if they were to decide on moving him. Even with his big contract, there are far worse players to spend that money on, especially if your team's cap books are largely clean otherwise.
For the Lakers, getting up to Holiday's $34.8 million cap hit in 2026-27 would require a package like Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million), Jaden Hardy ($6 million), Jake LaRavia ($6 million), and Dalton Knecht ($4.2 million) to make the money work. There are several reasons that does not get the job done.
For one, the Blazers could not just outright take back all of those players. This would need to be a multi-team deal. Likewise, one would imagine that Portland could find better value than this for Holiday on the trade market, even if the Lakers are adding draft capital to sweeten the pot.
Jrue is the type of player that can capably slot in for any team. At 36 years old, the Blazers guard continues to remain incredibly competent, despite his advanced NBA years.
If the Blazers do ultimately decide they have too many guards on the roster, it is tough to imagine a buyout of Holiday's remaining $72 million will truly be entertained in any way. Jrue is good enough for teams to come calling and surrender assets. The Lakers' chances are slim, at best, here.
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