Report: Mavericks targeting Jrue Holiday this summer
By Trey Daubert
The Dallas Mavericks have expressed interest in signing Jrue Holiday this offseason.
Despite being one of the biggest markets in America, Dallas has missed on several elite free agents in the past. One of those notable cases was DeAndre Jordan spurning the Mavericks late to return to the Clippers. With a bevy of cap space again heading into the offseason, the Mavs will try their best to land Jrue Holliday via free agency.
ESPN’s Ian Begley reported the Mavs interest in Holiday.
"“One team that’s interested in free agent point guard Jrue Holiday? The Dallas Mavericks. League sources say members of the Mavericks organization view Holiday as a free agent target this summer. Holiday will likely command top dollar on the market and Dallas would probably have to clear some cap space to make Holiday a competitive offer. New Orleans would also like to retain Holiday and can offer him more money than any other team.”"
Holliday, 26, had a productive year for New Orleans this past season. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists per game across 32.7 minutes. The Pelicans hold Holliday’s bird rights heading into the offseason. That means New Orleans can actually exceed the salary cap threshold to retain him with the ability to pay him more than any other team.
The Mavericks could have a tough time adding Holiday to the roster on a lucrative contract. Dallas currently has approximately $60 million guaranteed salaries on the books. That doesn’t even include the Dirk Nowitzki player option as he has already declared his interest to return to the team. If Dallas misses the boat on Holiday, they could always go with a younger option. The Mavs hold the No. 9 pick in the draft and could choose from a multitude of options including Dennis Smith and Frank Ntilikina.
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Begley also mentions that the New York Knicks are another team that could target the veteran point guard. There are other teams that will likely enter the sweepstakes including his former team, the 76ers who desperately need a point guard.