Mavericks' rival plotting sneaky move to steal dream trade target from Nico's grasp

With the NBA season winding down over the next two weeks or so with the NBA Finals beginning tonight, all eyes will soon be on the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA Draft on June 25. Dallas plans to select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, and after that, Nico Harrison's focus will shift to free agency and the trade market.

The Mavericks need guard help badly since Kyrie Irving is set to miss significant time next season with a torn ACL, and they have already been linked to a couple of players who would help make up for Irving's production while he is gone. Arguably, the best player Dallas has been linked to in trade rumors so far is Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, but the LA Clippers may swoop in and steal Holiday from the Mavs.

While getting Holiday to the Mavs was going to be a big challenge to begin with due to the massive amount of money that is still on his contract (three years and $104.4 million), the fit in Dallas would have been outstanding, especially once Irving came back. Now, if Harrison is serious about getting Holiday to Dallas, they have to worry about the Clippers getting their hands on him, according to NBA insider Mike Scotto of HoopsHype.

Clippers threatening to crush Mavericks' shot at Jrue Holiday

Scotto reported that the Clippers have shown interest in Holiday, along with the Mavs, and considering the Mavericks' rivalry with the Clippers that goes back to the 2020 NBA Playoffs and their countless heated battles, this is a move that Harrison and company would not like to happen. The Clippers won 50 games for the second straight season this year, and their core was looking strong as ever by the time the playoffs rolled around.

James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Kawhi Leonard fought their hardest and took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the first round before ultimately losing the series, and adding Holiday to that core should frighten the rest of the West. Holiday's defense and elite connectivity would make him a match made in heaven for the Clippers, and depending on how interested LA is, they could destroy the Mavs' chances of landing him.

It remains unclear how interested the Mavs are in Holiday, but his play style would fit Harrison's vision for the team to a tee if they made a trade for him. Harrison values defense and character more than anything, and both of those areas are Holiday's specialties.

Over the years, we have seen Holiday transition from a star to an elite role player, and he did whatever the Celtics asked of him in every situation over the last two seasons. His scoring numbers may have gone way down as a member of the Celtics compared to other stops such as the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans, but him embracing the role of being Boston's backcourt defensive stopper along with being a great leader in the locker room helped them win the 2024 NBA Finals over the Mavs and win 61 games this past season.

Watching Holiday's performance in that series against the Mavs could have caused him to win some favor in Harrison's eyes, and age and contract aside, he would be an intriguing on-court fit next to Irving and Anthony Davis for the next few seasons.

How much interest the Mavs truly have in bringing Holiday to Dallas is unknown at this time, but if their interest is prevalent, keep an eye on the Clippers as they could try to steal him from right under them.