Alvin Gentry Reportedly Keen on Pairing Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball in Trade With Lakers

With the Pelicans sitting pretty atop the draft board, destined to select Zion Williamson, head coach Alvin Gentry has apparently set his sights on the pieces he would like to acquire if the Pelicans deal Anthony Davis this offseason.

With Davis' departure likely impending, the Pels need to identify targets to replace him with, and improve the squad as a whole to develop around Williamson. Well, Gentry reportedly is infatuated with the idea of pairing Jrue Holiday with Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball.

Gentry would like to see the defensive-minded Ball join Holiday in the Pelicans backcourt, giving New Orleans an interesting duo to help Zion start his NBA career. Last year Ball averaged 9.9 points, along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an injury-shortened season. However, his defense was astounding and would benefit a Pelicans team that gave up nearly 117 points per game.

Lonzo to the Pelicans means the Lakers are still a viable option to acquire Anthony Davis despite the numerous failed attempts to land the big man via trade last season.

The tandem of Holiday and Ball would make for a solid guard punch, with Holiday averaging 21 points with nearly 8 assists during the 2018-19 season. Holiday has been consistently underrated for the past several seasons, and pairing him with a player who has the potential of Ball could be a wise move for New Orleans.