Some recent NBA trade buzz has been flying around the league now that the Dec. 15 trade restriction for teams had been lifted. One of the most notable rumors that has been released is that the New Orleans Pelicans may be ready to move on from veteran guard, Jrue Holiday.
Holiday, who is averaging 19.4 points, five rebounds and 6.6 assists on the struggling Pelicans team, is being targeted by other NBA teams. The Pelicans are currently 7-22 and trying to relieve some cap space while looking to obtain young talent and future picks in return for the guard.
The Pelicans already have an abundance of youth on the roster as they recently drafted potential star forward Zion Williamson and traded for young guns guard Lonzo Ball and forward Brandon Ingram. However, with the team struggling as they are, it would make sense to double down on their development and try to get as much value for one of their best players of the team’s future.
There have been three teams that have been rumored with possible trade calls for Jrue Holiday. Teams such as the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have all been involved with trade rumors for Holiday.
One of the teams interested in the veteran guard is the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers already have guards Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo and find themselves in a position to add more depth to their roster. Currently, Oladipo is dealing with a torn quad tendon which is sidelining him for most of the season. There is even a chance that Oladipo could not see the court for the remainder of the season, which makes Jrue Holiday a perfect replacement during Oladipo’s absence. Here is how the trade would possibly look like:
Indiana Pacers would receive:
- Guard Jrue Holiday
New Orlean Pelicans would receive:
- Center Myles Turner
- Guard T.J McConnell
- Guard/Forward JaKarr Sampson
This trade would benefit both teams, as the trade to receive Holiday from the Pelicans would help the Pacers complete their starting lineup. With Oladipo out, the team needs another guard who can help with the defensive perimeter and can take the pressure off Brogdon with playmaking. The Pelicans would receive a young, talented center who could fit perfectly with the explosive Williamson. Turner is a great post defender and can spread the floor offensively which would complement Williams’s attack the basket style of play. McConnell is a suitable bench piece, and could even start for the team barring any injuries to Lonzo Ball.
Another team that has shown interest in Holiday has been the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are a contending team looking to upgrade their shooting guard position, and they are willing to give up assets in order to keep themselves ahead of the pack in the Western Conference. Here is how the trade would look:
Denver Nuggets would receive:
- Guard Jrue Holiday
New Orlean Pelicans would receive:
- Guard Gary Harris
- Guard Malik Beasley
- Forward Jarred Vanderbilt
- 2022 unprotected first-round pick
Holiday would be an instant upgrade from who the Nuggets gave away in this trade. This trade would help the Nuggets defensively, as Holiday has been a proven defensive guard around the perimeter. Holiday is also a very capable shooter, as he is a career 45 percent field goal shooter and a 35 percent perimeter shooter. With what the Pelicans received, they now obtained yet another first-round pick for their future. They also received two young guards that could fit their rebuilding plans. Harris is already a proven two-way player who can shoot the ball and guard the perimeter. Beasley, on the other hand, is a young guard who has shown flashes of being one of the best sharpshooters in the league. Both players are capable of helping complete the Pelicans’ depth on the bench and could possibly start down the road if they keep progressing any further.
The last team that has shown a lot of interest in the veteran guard is the Miami Heat. The Heat, who are surprising everyone with how well they have been playing to start the season, are seemingly one trade away from becoming real playoff contenders. The Heat have a lot of moveable contracts, and the Pelicans have the cap space to even take on heavier contracts in return for future picks. Here is how the trade would look:
Miami Heat would receive:
- Guard Jrue Holiday
- Forward Derrick Favors
- Guard Kenrich Williams
New Orlean Pelicans would receive:
- Guard Goran Dragic
- Guard Dion Waiters
- Meyers Leonard
- Kenrich Nunn
- 2025 unprotected first-round pick
This trade would change the landscape for both teams. But both teams need to trade a lot of pieces for the deal to work. I would not be surprised if another team was involved to take one of the contracts of Goran Dragic or Dion Waiters so that the Pelicans do not overload their cap space. This trade would be great for the Pelicans, as they would receive the red hot rookie Kendrick Nunn who has been a scoring machine for the Heat. They would also receive shooting help from Waiters and would find veteran knowledge from Dragic to help out the young guard Ball develop. The Pelicans would also receive a future first-round pick in the year 2025, which could be great as the chances of the Heat being a playoff team in five years is unknown. The pick could turn out to be a top pick and that is a risk that the team should take.
With the Miami Heat, they would receive not only Jrue Holiday but also a year of Derrick Favors. With New Orleans trading away Leonard, Favors could come in and take the minutes that Leonard had with the team, and possibly do more with that time. Holiday would be a nice compliment to another defensive and high energy guy in Jimmy Butler. The two would make a great duo defensively and cause disruption to any of the NBA’s best duos, while still providing enough offense to win a ton of games.
