Mavericks' dream Jrue Holiday trade is already doomed before it even begins

After trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis on February 1, it was clear that the Dallas Mavericks needed more backcourt depth. This issue was magnified when Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL tear in early March, and one of their main priorities this summer is to add a starting point guard to replace Irving until he returns and later transition into more of a complementary role.

Dallas has already shown interest in Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics to fill this role and run the show until Irving fully recovers, but his brutal contract will likely destroy Dallas' chances of making a trade for him over the next few months.

Holiday has three years and $104 million remaining on his deal with the Celtics, and in order to get him to Dallas, the Mavericks would have to give up multiple high-level role players and potentially some draft capital (depending on how highly both sides value Holiday and his contract). It would be extremely hard to get a deal done, especially with how the CBA works, and the Mavs may end up having to look elsewhere, regardless of how well Holiday would likely play for Jason Kidd's Mavericks.

Jrue Holiday's ginormous contract should keep Mavericks away

Holiday is set to make $32.4 million next season, and considering he is turning 35 years old in just over two weeks, this may not be a wise gamble for Dallas to make. The Mavericks should be trying to save money to avoid getting too far trapped under the second apron (after they sign Cooper Flagg) rather than paying Holiday over $100 million over the next few years, and the finances involved in this deal would likely be the main reason Boston and Dallas don't come to an agreement to send the 6-foot-4 combo guard to Big D.

Overpaid or not, Holiday would be an amazing fit in Dallas, as he is an excellent defender, shooter, and connector, and he would be able to lead the offense while Irving is out and then start at the two once he comes back.

Last season for Boston, Holiday averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 35.3 percent from downtown, and his lockdown defense is still always on display even after being in the league for 16 years. A lineup including Holiday, Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II would wreak havoc on the rest of the NBA, and they could even form an ultra-big lineup by playing Flagg at the two and inserting P.J. Washington at the three (assuming Dallas can keep him out of a potential trade for Holiday).

The possibilities are endless when speculating what kind of impact Holiday could make in Dallas if they were to trade for him, and his contract is likely what will bring Mavs fans back to reality and put away the trade machine. Trading for Holiday would narrow their championship window even more, and they'd likely be forced to give up good role players they could use to build around Flagg to get a deal done with Boston.

You have to give up quality to get quality, and since the Mavs were just gifted the golden goose of winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the chance to draft Flagg, they should be doing everything in their power to avoid adding big contracts that take up a large percentage of their cap space. Nico Harrison may have to pivot in his plans of building the roster now that Flagg is in the picture, and even though Holiday is one of the best defenders in the NBA and would be a dream fit alongside Irving, his salary may send Dallas running in the other direction.