Indiana Pacers: 3 reasons to trade Aaron Holiday this summer
By Luke Parrish
The Indiana Pacers cannot afford to let Holiday struggle as the primary backup
If the Pacers give him the keys to lead the second unit and he is as bad as he was to start last season, the team is going to suffer. Shooting 35 percent from the field and under 30 percent from deep while only adding 6.2 points and 2.1 assists are not going to cut it.
Those were the numbers Holiday posted in his first 19 games last season across 20.3 minutes per game. A slow start like that would crush any early goals the Pacers have while sinking their bench unit, which is already looking like it’s going to get worse next season. Potentially losing T.J. McConnell and Doug McDermott this offseason would be a brutal blow to the Pacers.
The offense will run through Sabonis and LeVert, maybe even Malcolm Brogdon, but once they are off the floor, they need someone that can routinely run the show. Can you trust Aaron Holiday to be the guy each and every night after what we saw from him last season?
The answer is an astounding no. If he can get back to where he was headed in 2019 then the Pacers have something to work with but risking that is probably not the best move for a team in the middle of a rebuild of sorts.
If the Pacers can get any asset in return for Holiday this offseason, they have to make the move in my opinion. Let him start fresh with a new franchise while replacing him with someone else who fits the roster a bit better.