Aaron Holiday Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Holiday, Lively, Grizzlies, Sochan

November 4th, 2023 at 9:27am CST by Earnest Marshall

Rockets rookie guard Amen Thompson sprained his right ankle on Wednesday, with the team ruling him out of the contest shortly after he suffered the injury in the third quarter. According to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, head coach Ime Udoka said Thompson suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain.

Thompson also sustained a Grade 2 left ankle sprain over the summer and that injury had a two-to-four week recovery timetable, according to DuBose, so it’s likely he’s looking at a similar return timeline for this injury.

The No. 4 overall pick is Houston’s primary backup point guard behind Fred VanVleet, so Aaron Holiday absorbed the brunt of Thompson’s minutes following his departure from the game. However, Udoka didn’t turn to Holiday right away, moving Jae’Sean Tate to the backcourt before bringing Holiday in, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle observes (subscriber link). Udoka wasn’t ready to fully commit to the idea of Holiday always being the backup in a three-guard rotation.

“I think we’ll go by committee a little bit,” Udoka said. “I think, the lineup that we had out there, even Amen was out there, we had Jae’Sean as another guy that can initiate, so we do have some guys I can kind of play up or down and fill different roles. We’ll look at it as game-to-game.”

Udoka praised Holiday’s playing ability and said he believed Holiday and VanVleet could play together. Feigen writes that improving the bench play of the Rockets is crucial and playing Holiday may be important to finding a consistent rotation.

“Depending on the team, for sure,” Udoka said. “Teams that have bigger wings, obviously that’ll pose some threats. But Aaron is a guy, similar to his brother, doesn’t have the height of Jrue, but he is a very physical, tough guy that can play on or off the ball. Fred does as well.”

According to Feigen, Udoka said there may be situations where he calls on Reggie Bullock, rookie Cam Whitmore or Tate to fill in some of the backcourt minutes.

Holiday signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets this offseason that has just $1MM guaranteed. If Holiday is on the roster on Jan. 10, that contract will become fully guaranteed.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II is a huge part of Dallas’s early season success, averaging 7.6 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting in four of the team’s five games so far. Lively said he’s learned from former Mavs champion Tyson Chandler, who joined the organization via the Mavs Legend Program, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Chandler works with Mavericks centers in his role with the team, including the 19-year-old Lively. “He has a willingness to actually learn, listen and take in information,” Chandler said. “He has a great spirit. He reminds me a lot of myself. I feel the duty to actually be there for him and guide him as much as necessary.”
The Grizzlies are a league-worst 0-6 to begin the season, facing a lengthy suspension to Ja Morant and injuries to key players like Steven Adams. Still, the Grizzlies were expected to be more competitive even with their early season issues, considering they brought in former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and have current reigning DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as Desmond Bane. Kelly Iko and John Hollinger of The Athletic dive into why Memphis’ struggles go deeper than suspensions and injuries, including Smart being a step slower on defense thus far and the younger players on the roster not taking a step forward. I recommend checking out the article in full if you have a subscription to The Athletic, as the pair explore the intriguing trade options Memphis has, along with a deeper look into the club’s problems.
Experimenting with starting Jeremy Sochan at point guard has produced a mix bag of results for the Spurs. Even still, head coach Gregg Popovich expressed his appreciation with what the second-year guard/forward brings to the table, as relayed by Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Popovich said Sochan is “trending in the right direction” and has stood out defensively, adding that he likes how the former lottery pick is “taking care of the ball,” according to Orsborn. “It doesn’t matter who he guards, he does a wonderful job, creates a lot of chaos for us,” Popovich said.

Rockets Notes: Udoka, Defense, Green, Bostic, Holiday

October 4th, 2023 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After taking over a Rockets team that won 17, 19, and 22 games in the last three seasons, what is new head coach Ime Udoka focused on improving? “Everything,” he said on Tuesday, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

“We had a … 28-minute film session,” Udoka said after the first day of training camp. “I showed them clips … and numbers from the past three years — what we want to avoid, what we want to get better at. The main thing I stressed is effort and execution.

“… The numbers were ugly, to be honest, the last few years. When you rank 25th to 28th in a lot of categories, there’s a lot to improve on and grow. I kind of hit them right between the eyes in the areas we struggled in the last few years and (where) we want to get better.”

As Feigen details, the Rockets are expected to use a wider variety of defensive schemes this season and are confident that incoming veterans like Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jeff Green will help implement and communicate the new strategies on the floor.

“We want to be a louder group,” Udoka said. “And Fred even stressed that. We have to talk more. We have to hear each other. That’s been one of the keys. To be a great defensive, offensive group, you have to talk to each other and not try to read each other’s minds. The defense that we’re going to play, it takes a lot of communication, a lot of talk out there.”

Here’s more on the Rockets:

Jalen Green, who is still a year away from becoming eligible for a rookie scale extension, may be seeking new representation. Two people with knowledge of the situation tell Feigen that Green is considering a handful of options – including Klutch, WME, and Lift Sports – as he mulls the idea of parting ways with CAA. He’s expected to make a decision within the next few weeks.
Former Findlay forward Josh Bostic is joining Ime Udoka‘s staff as a player development coach, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bostic went undrafted in 2009 and played professionally for 14 years. While he was in camp with the Pistons in 2014, he never appeared in an NBA regular season game, having spent most of his career in Europe.
Aaron Holiday, who signed a one-year contract as a free agent this offseason, said he chose the Rockets because he wanted to play for Udoka, likes the talent on the roster, and considers Houston a “pretty cool” city, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Now, he’s focused on learning what role he’ll play for his new team. “Everywhere I go I would have different roles,” Holiday said. “Sometimes I’m just out there to play defense or shoot shots or get the ball moving or whatever the case may be. So you just have to find your role, and obviously, coach (Udoka) will do a good job helping us. But just do the best at your role. Be a star at your role.”
In case you missed it, we passed along a series of Rockets notes on Tuesday as well.

More Contract Details: White, Lyles, A. Holiday, Draymond, D-Lo, More

July 11th, 2023 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

Coby White‘s new contract with the Bulls and Trey Lyles‘ new contract with the Kings both include unlikely incentives that could increase the value of those deals, Hoops Rumors has learned.

White’s three-year pact is guaranteed to be worth at least $36MM and has $1.3MM in annual incentives that could push the guard’s earnings up to $40MM in total. As for Lyles, he’ll make $8MM guaranteed salaries in each season of his two-year deal with Sacramento and could earn another $1.2MM in bonuses, which would increase the overall value of the contract to $18.4MM ($9.2MM per year).

Here are a few more details worth noting on several recently signed contracts:

Aaron Holiday‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets is only partially guaranteed. Holiday is assured of about $1.05MM and would receive his full $2.35MM salary if he remains under contract through at least January 7.
Draymond Green‘s four-year, $100MM contract with the Warriors includes a 15% trade kicker, while Jevon Carter‘s three-year, $19.5MM deal with the Bulls has a third-year player option.
Only the first season of Julian Champagnie‘s new four-year, $12MM contract with the Spurs is guaranteed. For each of the following three years, he’ll have to remain under contract beyond August 1 to guarantee his salary for that season.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal (or a two-year deal with a second-year option) has the right to veto a trade, since he’d lose his Bird (or Early Bird) rights if he’s dealt. However, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a player to waive that right to veto a trade when he signs that sort of contract, and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell became the first player to do so, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Alex Len also waived his right to veto a trade as part of his new one-year deal with the Kings, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Aaron Holiday Signs One-Year Contract With Rockets

July 6th, 2023 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 10: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 6: Aaron Holiday is signing a one-year contract with the Rockets, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported earlier today that the Hornets and Rockets were among the teams interested in the free agent guard.

Holiday spent his first three NBA seasons with the Pacers, the team that selected him 23rd overall in the 2018 draft. He was sent to the Wizards two years ago as part of the massive five-team deal that saw Russell Westbrook head to the Lakers, and was later sent to the Suns at the 2022 trade deadline for cash.

Phoenix chose not to give Holiday a qualifying offer last summer in order to make him a restricted free agent, and he wound up signing a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum with the Hawks. Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the combo guard will once again be on a minimum-salary contract.

The Rockets were on the lookout for guard depth after trading TyTy Washington and Josh Christopher (to different teams) and releasing Daishen Nix, Iko adds (Twitter link).

Holiday, 26, appeared in 63 games for the Hawks in 2022/23, but his role was quite limited, averaging career lows in points (3.9) and assists (1.4) in 13.4 minutes per contest. The 6’0″ guard is a 37.7% career three-point shooter and converted 36 of his 88 attempts last season (40.9%).

Hawks Sign Aaron Holiday To One-Year Deal

July 1st, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 6: The Hawks have officially signed Holiday, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 1: Aaron Holiday is joining the Hawks on a one-year contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It will be a veteran’s minimum deal, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old guard began last season with the Wizards before being traded to the Suns at the February deadline. Holiday averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 22 games with Phoenix, but he wasn’t in the playoff rotation and saw minimal playing time in six postseason games.

Holiday became an unrestricted free agent this week when the Suns elected not to tender a qualifying offer.

The 23rd pick in the 2018 draft, Holiday spent three seasons with the Pacers before being traded to Washington last summer in a five-team deal. The former UCLA star was mostly a backup in Indiana, but started 33 games during the 2019/20 season.

Holiday should help fill the void left by Delon Wright, who is headed to the Wizards in free agency.

Suns Won’t Extend QO To Aaron Holiday

June 29th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Holiday won’t receive a qualifying offer from the Suns, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 25-year-old point guard was eligible for a QO of $5,791,702.

Holiday, a solid defender, appeared in 22 games for Phoenix this season after being acquired from the Wizards in a February trade. He was part of the Suns’ rotation, averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 16.3 minutes per night.

The decision will make Holiday unrestricted when free agency kicks off Thursday. He spent the first three years of his career with the Pacers after being selected with the 23rd pick in the 2018 draft.

Pacific Notes: Kuminga, Lakers, Magic, A. Holiday

February 18th, 2022 at 7:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga may be just 19 years old, but his sights are set on lofty career goals, as Michael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated relays.

Kuminga hopes to become “at least a three-time MVP [and] four-time Defensive Player of the Year,” wants to make the Hall of Fame, and win multiple championships.

The No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Kuminga has had an increased role recently due to injuries to Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. Through eight games in February (26.3 MPG), Kuminga has scored in double figures in each contest, averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .603/.320/.690 shooting.

Kuminga will participate in the Rising Stars event Friday night. He was named as a replacement for Indiana rookie Chris Duarte, who’s dealing with a toe injury.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores how the Lakers will attempt to survive without star Anthony Davis, who’s sidelined for at least a month with a mid-foot sprain. The Lakers will likely lean more heavily on LeBron James and Russell Westbrook in Davis’ absence, Buha writes, with James figuring to see more time at center. Lineups featuring James at center have a positive net rating (+2.5) and are outstanding offensively, but struggle on defense.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently shared his thoughts on the current team with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (the interview was conducted prior to Davis’ injury). Johnson says the group lacks an identity and has been inconsistent throughout the season, but he thinks that if the “Big Three” can figure out how to mesh together, the Lakers will still be dangerous in the playoffs.
Evan Sidery of BasketballNews.com believes that Aaron Holiday ‘fits right in’ with the Suns, and could eventually supplant Landry Shamet as the fourth guard in the rotation given Shamet’s shooting struggles. “He just continues to play the kind of basketball we like to play,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said after Phoenix beat Houston 124-121 Wednesday. “Defensively, he just gets into stuff and he comes up with balls. I thought the inbounds play under the basket where he stole it and laid it up, that’s Aaron [Holiday], and I like his willingness to take shots.” Holiday was acquired from the Wizards last week for cash considerations.

Wizards Trade Aaron Holiday To Suns

February 10th, 2022 at 6:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

6:15pm: The trade is official, according to a Wizards press release. The Suns have to waive a player to complete the deal, but it appears we may need to wait for their announcement to confirm who will be the odd man out in Phoenix.

1:32pm: Wizards reserve guard Aaron Holiday is being sent to the Suns, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM tweets that the Suns are trading cash considerations to the Wizards and will be paying Holiday’s $4.0MM contract via the disabled player trade exception they received due to power forward Dario Saric‘s ACL tear.

The Wizards appear to be open for business today, with star guard Bradley Beal now on the sidelines for the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. Washington is completely reshaping its roster, having also sent out guard Spencer Dinwiddie and power forward Davis Bertans to the Mavericks in exchange for former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis and some draft considerations.

Additionally, Washington is sending out reserve big man Montrezl Harrell to the Hornets. As part of the return package in the Harrell exchange, Washington is receiving backup guard Ish Smith, making Holiday expendable.

Phoenix, owner of the NBA’s best record at 44-10, is fairly stacked at the point guard position. The 6’0″ Holiday could compete with minutes as Chris Paul‘s backup with Cameron Payne (currently injured) and Elfrid Payton.

At 25, Holiday is the youngest member of a trio of brothers in the league. The Suns will be his third NBA club in four seasons. He is averaging 6.1 PPG on .467/.343/.800 shooting splits. The youngest Holiday is also notching 1.9 APG ad 1.6 RPG across 16.2 MPG thus far this year.

Scotto’s Latest: A. Holiday, LeVert, Cronin, Pistons, Simmons

January 19th, 2022 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Aaron Holiday is considered to be available via trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who said on the latest HoopsHype Podcast that multiple teams have checked in on Holiday’s price tag.

The Wizards acquired Holiday from Indiana in the five-team offseason trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles. As the team’s backup point guard this season, the ex-Pacer has averaged 6.2 PPG and 1.9 APG on .475/.382/.808 shooting in 35 games (16.2 MPG). He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2022 offseason.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Most executives around the league believe Caris LeVert is now the most likely Pacers player to be traded, in the wake of Myles Turner‘s foot injury, says Scotto. There’s a sense that teams may lower their offers for Turner or back off pursuing him entirely, Scotto adds.
A number of rival execs believe Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin has a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis, according to Scotto. Interestingly, Portland announced a series of front office hires and promotions today — none of those moves impacts the very top of the team’s basketball operations department, but the fact that the franchise is actively adding and promoting executives under an interim GM is noteworthy.
On Tuesday, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report suggested that the Pistons offered Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Kelly Olynyk, and a first-round pick for Ben Simmons earlier in the season, and the Sixers weren’t enthusiastic about the concept. Scotto has heard that Detroit’s offer, which was turned down by Philadelphia, actually consisted of Grant, Bey, and Josh Jackson.

COVID-19 Updates: Wizards, Budenholzer, Celtics, Nance, Duarte, More

January 5th, 2022 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are on the verge of replenishing their point guard depth, with Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday now out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both players will remain sidelined for at least one more game, however, as they work on their conditioning.

Here are more protocol-related updates from around the league:

Mike Budenholzer has become the latest head coach to enter the health and safety protocols, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Darvin Ham will serve as the Bucks‘ acting head coach in Budenholzer’s absence.
Aaron Nesmith has exited the health and safety protocols, but another Celtics player – Payton Pritchard – has entered them, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Trail Blazers big man Larry Nance Jr. entered the COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, but it’s possible he’ll be able to clear them quickly. According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter links), head coach Chauncey Billups said Nance registered an inconclusive test, so if he can return two consecutive negatives at least 24 hours apart, he’ll exit the protocols.
Pacers rookie Chris Duarte has cleared the protocols, though he’s doubtful to play in Wednesday’s game vs. Brooklyn, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Cory Joseph, who was the last Pistons player in the protocols, has exited them, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Joseph remains unavailable for Wednesday’s game in Charlotte due to return to competition reconditioning.
Rookies Marko Simonovic (Bulls) and Brandon Boston Jr. (Clippers) were at their respective teams’ practices today and are no longer in the protocols (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago and Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times).
Other players who have cleared the protocols include Spurs forward Devontae Cacok and Mavericks rookie JaQuori McLaughlin. Cacok is out vs. Boston on Wednesday due to return to competition reconditioning (Twitter link via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News), while McLaughlin is no longer on Dallas’ injury report.