Like it or not, Pelicans had no choice when it came to Jrue Holiday

The New Orleans Pelicans and Jrue Holiday struck fast on a deal for 5 years and $126 million. There were many speculated and suggested scenarios, either way the Pelicans simply had no other choice.

It’s been stated numerous times that this offseason is the most important in New Orleans Pelicans history.

New Orleans knows it too, as they’ve been involved in trade talks from Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson to trying to help facilitate the Rockets Knicks Carmelo Anthony trade.

They also were close to signing Nick Young and are clearly focused on not just improving the team, but being a contender in the Western conference.

For the first time ever, the franchise has two legitimate top-10 players on their roster in DeMarcus Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent after next season, and Anthony Davis, who has three years left on his current deal.

The clock is ticking for Boogie and AD. Without a positive step going forward Boogie could be an expensive rental, and without a promising future, AD could easily follow the path that Chris Paul took out of New Orleans.

Could you imagine the fan outrage of having two drafted superstars who love New Orleans both leaving? Now imagine both leaving because of murky ownership and questionable front office decisions? New Orleans could have three top-10 players at the time all bolt for greener pastures within the past 10 years.

How could another player ever want to stay in New Orleans?

The gumbo and Mardi Gras can only do so much.

The clock is no longer ticking for Jrue Holiday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported first that the former all star agreed to a 5 year 126 million deal. Whether Jrue was worth $126 million, $100 million, or $170 million is almost irrelevant at this point.

In today’s age, the market almost completely dictates a player’s worth. If you’re a multi-dimensional guard or a talented wing, you’re likely going to get more than your worth. Somehow though, the narrative on Jrue has almost sunken to him being easily replaceable.

Was he worth 25 million a year?

Probably not, but there should be a slight celebration here: Jrue could have gotten as high as $170 million. Some speculate that  $140 million was his floor, so let’s give the Pels a little credit as they didn’t entirely break the bank for Jrue.

There was a debate as to whether the Pels would have been better off letting him walk. Meanwhile, if they didn’t pay Jrue they were left with close to $14 million dollars for a replacement. What $14 million dollar point guard are you signing that’s going to make an extreme difference while filling other noticeable roster holes?

There are bench point guards that will make more than that next season. The options available weren’t head and shoulders better than Holiday anyway. By the time things were said and done, the remaining options for New Orleans were basically George Hill, Rajon Rondo, or Kyle Lowry.

Other than Rondo, the benchmark was clearly set for starting point guards at $16-18 million a year at a minimum. Unfortunately, that’s too risky and too expensive of a gamble to trust General Manager Dell Demps with.

Even if you believe Holiday is just an above average point guard, is he the best Boogie has played with?

The answer to this might be “yes”.

Having DeMarcus see a talent like Jrue walk, no matter the reason, just isn’t a good look. Not with all the inconsistency he suffered through in Sacramento. It’s the same reason it made sense to keep the front office intact. Unless Boogie has serious input there’s zero room for substantial change when it comes to his surroundings right now. It’s like having a wounded or mentally-scarred friend. You don’t want to do anything to remind them of their past.

Especially when he’s secretly recruiting players to New Orleans.

Now, what about AD? No matter what you think about Monty Williams, he and Davis were extremely close. He won’t admit it, but he had to be hurt about seeing his first NBA coach fired after the first winning season since Chris Paul left town.

Jrue’s a whole different animal, as Davis openly talked about wanting to have him back. You really didn’t hear him publicly do that with many other players he’s been with. It’s 2017, and no matter the opinion the superstars run this league. So along with not being guaranteed a viable replacement, you likely risk upsetting both of your stars.

That just wasn’t a risk New Orleans could afford to take right now.

There are many positives when it comes to Jrue Holiday that sometimes get lost in the shuffle. His defense, playmaking, leadership, and I.Q will all continue to make the Pelicans better. Even with Jrue struggling offensively and adjusting to Boogie and AD together late last season, as a trio they fared pretty well down the stretch.

The five-man lineup the Pelicans used the most after the trade was 13th in plus minus rating. The trio also had a lineup that finished favorably in overall net rating. It’s a small sample size, but the metrics show in many areas the offense should be the least of their problems.

Jrue may not be your prototypical third wheel in today’s “superteam” era. He may not be worth every dollar, but due to previous moves there’s financially no other choice. If you want to be mad at anybody, be mad at the front office, not Holiday no matter the outcome.

This could fail and money could be wasted, or the Pelicans can become a legit threat in the Western Conference. They still have depth issues, contracts they still need to try and dump and trades are always a possibility.

But the off-season is still young and one bridge has been crossed.

It’s time to accept the facts: The Western conference gets more competitive every minute, and every night is going to be a fight for the Pels. Its time to move forward and figure out how to put the finishing pieces on what hopes to be a fantastic masterpiece.

Patience is going to be key from the organization as well as the fans

Jrue Holiday is a man all about positivity and faith.

We should at least for the time being, try to be like him.