NBA Trade Rumors: New Orleans Pelicans are shopping Jrue Holiday
After an up-and-down first season with Zion Williamson, many identified the New Orleans Pelicans as a team to watch heading into the 2020 offseason.
The Pelicans are an interesting team considering they are a club that has both veteran and young talent and a squad that you wouldn’t be surprised if they made the playoffs or found themselves back in the lottery next season.
Though, after hiring Stan Van Gundy, many assumed that the Pelicans would stand pat heading into the 2021 season. After all, not many expected the Pelicans to hire Van Gundy and then immediately strip the talent off the top of this team.
However, according to Shams Charania, the Pelicans are reportedly actively shopping Jrue Holiday ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft (which is slated for November 18). Shams adds that several contenders, as you’d expect, are interested.
The New Orleans Pelicans are openly discussing star Jrue Holiday in trade talks and several contending teams are pursuing, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 4, 2020
On the surface, this is certainly an exciting thought for any team looking for that final piece. A few teams that you’d expect to be involved in any type of discussion are the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Each of these teams will be looking for some sort of upgrade over the offseason and several of them have already been linked to Holiday in the past. What this may ultimately come down to is whether or not the Pelicans want some sort of agreement in place before the draft (especially if they’re targeting draft capital) and what the team is actually asking for in return.
Just as a guess, I expect that the Pelicans would be asking for young talent and a pick or two in exchange for Holiday. Though, the market that the team can carve out for him over the next few days (and a couple of weeks, potentially) will help dictate their return.
Many teams should inquire about Jrue Holiday. He’s one of the most underrated two-way guards in the NBA and would be a huge addition for many contenders.