Does this trade make sense for the Indiana Pacers?
Aaron Holiday is the third-string point guard for the Pacers behind Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell, so they really do not have any long-term ties to him. With Holiday entering the final year of his contract, the Pacers will likely look to salvage value for him being a former first-round pick, which is why trading him for Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards could be advantageous.
Grant Williams has played a lot with Boston over the last two years, as he has played in 132 total games, but they really have not used him much. Offensively, Williams has struggled scoring, but defensively, he actually looks like a decent role player.
With two years remaining on his contract, both being team options, the Pacers really would not have to pay Williams much and he could actually turn into a solid defensive option off-the-bench behind Domantas Sabonis in the Pacers; rotations.
The same goes for Carsen Edwards, who has never really been given a chance at the NBA-level. Edwards is an end-of-the-bench guy for Boston right now who only gets into the game with just a minute or two on the clock, or when there is a blowout occurring.
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In college at Purdue, Carsen Edwards was a star and one of the best scoring guards in the country, but his size has limited his playing time at the NBA-level. The Pacers are always looking for guys who can score from beyond-the-arc and with McConnell being a free agent, there could be an opening for minutes at the point guard/shooting guard positions.
Aaron Holiday really does not present much upside to the Pacers and their future plans, so like the Celtics, they really have nothing to lose in this trade. That’s why he’s been involved in NBA trade rumors at times in his career. Overall, this deal is about giving young players a fresh start with a new team and this really is a trade that could work out for both teams.
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The worst thing that happens is that both teams give up a second-round pick, but at the end of the day, everything would even out for both the Celtics and Pacers if Holiday, Edwards and Williams do not change for the better.
