With the Indiana Pacers off to one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory, fans and pundits alike are expecting the franchise to shift gears for once and be active in the trade market, especially with the trade deadline looming.
One player that has gotten overlooked in the trading panel behind his flashier teammates is veteran Justin Holiday, who has once again been one of the more reliable hands for the Pacers this season. Despite almost changing roles on the nightly, the swingman remains one of the team’s most solid role players.
With his mix of veteran leadership, experience, high volume three-point shooting and pesky perimeter defense, it’s no surprise that a lot of teams, especially those in contention, are expected to pursue the veteran. As he is entering free agency in the summer, Indiana has reportedly made him available for trades.
The Indiana Pacers could still do well keeping Justin Holiday
The Indiana Pacers could be on the verge of making a tough call with Justin Holiday. While the front office could easily endorse him as a trade chip and gain solid returns for his services from another, he has repeatedly made it clear that he wants to remain in Indianapolis, notwithstanding the franchise’s direction.
Dilemma cuts its way into the equation here as the Pacers are in a unique position where they have insisted that a rebuild from scratch is out of consideration, for better or for worse. As they try to retool on the fly, the front office could do much worse than retain Holiday, who is a very serviceable role player and shouldn’t come expensive in free agency. Indiana also has the in-house advantage of familiarity for the veteran as the first franchise to sign him to a multi-year deal.
Also, experienced players like Holiday usually chase rings at this point, but it may not be atop his priority list given the fact that he already has one title to his name, being a part of the Golden State Warriors’ 2015 team that won the championship.
Bench players who could seamlessly slide into a starting role are easy targets for bargain contracts. Holiday is one of those commodities who should have a lot of suitors as a second unit gunner and secondary defender, but again, the Pacers are well-positioned to make a good offer and retain him in free agency.
Ultimately, if Indiana fails to net their wanted asset for Justin Holiday’s services this season, which has been claimed to be in the form of two second-round picks at the minimum, the Pacers should seriously consider bringing him back as they attempt to wage a better bid in the future seasons to come.