Aaron Holiday 'already acclimated,' already contributing to Phoenix Suns

While fan favorite Torrey Craig rejoined the Suns in exchange for Jalen Smith to the Indiana Pacers, Aaron Holiday was Phoenix's other acquisition from the Washington Wizards shortly before Thursday's trade deadline.

Holiday, 25, is the youngest brother of the three Holidays in the NBA: 31-year-old Jrue is the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks' starting point guard; 32-year-old Justin is a Sacramento Kings wing.

In his Suns debut, a game in which they routed the Orlando Magic on Saturday, 132-105, Holiday shot 4-of-5 for 10 points, hit two out of three from beyond the arc, and added one board in nine minutes in the fourth quarter.

"Watching Aaron out there hawk the ball and he had the lob for Biz (Biyombo), Biz mishandled that pass, but his ability to shoot the ball and defend ball is something that Holidays are known for,” Suns coach Monty Williams said with a chuckle.

“So just watching those two guys (Craig and Holiday) fit right into the program was pretty cool tonight.”

The Holidays are Los Angeles natives with several family connections to the Valley.

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Aaron said he has a few paternal-cousins and family friends who live in Phoenix, as well as his sister-in-law’s aunt.

In addition, the brothers’ parents Shawn and Toya were players on the Arizona State men’s and women’s basketball teams during the early 1980s.

Similar to the lyrics from former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham's 1983 hit single "Holiday Road," Aaron feels grateful about the opportunity for his parents to take a ride on a West kick to see him and Justin play near their home.

“Man, it’s probably one of the best things,” Holiday said with a smile during the Suns' pregame shootaround. “My parents are like a 45-minute flight away now, so they could probably visit us more often. They can honestly drive if they want to. I have family here in Phoenix, my brother is now in Sacramento.”

He averaged 6.1 points on 46.7% shooting, 1.9 assists, 7.0 net rating, and 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio through 16.2 minutes played for the Wizards this season.

Holiday's career stats are 7.4 points, 41.2% on his field goals, 36.9% from deep, 2.3 assists, 82.7% free throw shooting, 0.7 steals as a backup point guard.

He was excited to get the call from Wizards General Manager Tommy Shepard about being traded to the Western Conference champion.

Craig added some trivia to reporters about his career linked to the Holiday brothers.

“Well, fun fact, somebody needs to look this up: Am I the first person to play with all three Holiday brothers?” the six-year veteran forward Craig said.

He's probably right.

Craig was Jrue's teammate in Milwaukee from late November 2020 to when he was traded to Phoenix on mid-March 2021. Also, Craig played with Justin and Aaron on the Pacers as the latter two played together from 2019 until Justin was traded to Sacramento on Thursday.

Craig said it’s a “blessing” returning to the Suns' winning culture, relishing the Phoenix lifestyle, his Valley-based friends, and the fair weather throughout the year.

He added that Holiday is a perfect fit for the Suns as they regroup for another possible run to the finals in June.

“He’s a defensive-minded guy. He plays like a vet as well," Craig said. "Plays at a good pace, and I think he’ll fit in perfect with this group and what we’re trying to accomplish here."

Holiday said he watched his brother Jrue play one of last year's finals game in Phoenix and two in Milwaukee.

“I was up here watching them play the Bucks last year. The atmosphere is crazy," Holiday said. "The team is obviously really good, really talented. They were number one in the league without me, so hopefully I can keep that going. I’m just here to do my job and help the best way I can.”

Holiday tuned in to the Suns’ 131-107 rout of the Bucks last Thursday. He cited the Suns’ unselfish style in how “everybody’s on a string and how everyone’s connected and that takes time," and believes he'll be in the groove soon with them.

Holiday emphasized he doesn’t have to wait to long to get accustomed to living in Phoenix, after being living in the falls and winters during his past three years with the Indiana Pacers, and the first half of this season in Washington.

He doesn’t miss freezing weather conditions and scrapping ice off his car windows, which he had to “learn fast” as he adjusted to life in the East and Midwest.

“Man, I’m already acclimated. I’m from the West Coast,” Holiday said and laughed. “This (Phoenix) weather is nice, reminds me of back home. It’s not too hot right now.”

Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at dana.scott@azcentral.com or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Aaron Holiday 'already acclimated,' already contributing to Phoenix Suns