4 NBA Teams That Should Go All in for Pelicans' Jrue Holiday
By Andy Loughmiller
The NBA trade deadline is scheduled for Feb. 6, which means teams are beginning to do their homework and attempting to see who might be available. The struggling New Orleans Pelicans have maintained that Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and JJ Redick are not for sale. However, after refusing to part ways with him last season, it appears Jrue Holiday could actually be on the market if teams are willing to cough up some significant assets to acquire him.
Yet what that also means is Jrue Holiday is indeed available via trade, league sources say. It would surely cost a significant amount to pry him away from the Pels, but this is a notable change in status given how unavailable Holiday was to interested teams last season
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 17, 2019
With that in mind, here are four teams that should attempt to swing a trade for Holiday.
4. Orlando Magic
The Magic have been hovering around a bottom seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for much of the season, unable to maximize their long-term commitment to Nikola Vucevic. They have a nice combination of veteran and young players that they could package together to acquire Holiday, and are rumored to be exploring the situation. Acquiring the high-volume scorer could do a lot for this team's energy.
3. Phoenix Suns
Perhaps this is the sort of friend Devin Booker needs by his side to prevent him from forming a super team elsewhere with Karl-Anthony Towns? For once, Phoenix is caught in between, but closer to playoff contention than irrelevancy, and a veteran scorer and distributor like Holiday could be an excellent fit for a team lacking in experience, yet approaching the mountaintop.
2. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets rumors began nearly as soon as Holiday's name was leaked as an available target. Denver, one year removed from the Western Semis, hasn't ascended like they'd hoped, instead forced to deal with the eternal NBA struggle of their rise being coopted by Los Angeles star-chasing. Would the Nuggets, on the verge of being a tough third-place finisher, deal Gary Harris and a young, non-MPJ piece for Holiday?
1. Miami Heat
Miami has been a pleasant surprise in the East and have exceeded expectations thus far this season. Always locked into rumors of this sort and currently overperforming, they could rid themselves of Goran Dragic's contract if they are willing to give up on some of their promising young talent as well in a deal for Holiday. A hard-nosed player like him would be the perfect backcourt mate for Jimmy Butler and give the Heat a pair of two-way players capable of guarding the opposing team's best ball-handler.