The 3 Jrue Holiday trades that New Orelans Pelicans fans won’t hate

Potentially available for a hefty price, Jrue Holiday could draw significant returns if the New Orleans Pelicans decide to make a move at the NBA deadline.

We’re entering the final 36 hours of the trade deadline and the New Orleans Pelicans have yet to make any moves but as teams around the league bolster their rosters for a title run, Jrue Holiday remains an almost constant interest around the league.

Standing 20-31 and 4.5 games out of the eighth seed in the West currently being chased by a bevy of conference foes, the New Orleans Pelicans are in a complicated bind at the trade deadline.

While Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and General Manager Trajan Langdon are certain to field calls, it would be reasonable for the team to hold form considering the chemistry.

There is some logic to the Pelicans standing pat at this year’s deadline. After all of last year’s transaction-related “dumpster fire” with Anthony Davis, the team could be reasonably shy in shuffling the pieces around too much before their core really gets some good run time.

As the heat and traction surrounding the trade deadline continue to pick up, the Pelicans are probably going to be fielding a lot of calls surrounding some of the veteran talents on their team, despite an unlikelihood that any of them will be traded.

Certainly, the organization could be swayed by player talent or draft assets that have long term favorability, especially a young player talent that compliments their core.

In their last two games before the NBA Trade Deadline, the New Orleans Pelicans took back-to-back losses for the second time since Zion Williamson returned to the floor. In both games, Jrue Holiday mightly struggled, looking particularly at a loss on offense.

Despite his struggles during spots this season and especially over the last few games, Holiday is a great leader with tireless work ethic.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Holiday has made it clear to the front office that his preference is to stay in New Orleans to see the core continue their development.

However, if the New Orleans Pelicans can get a really good young player in a deal, it’s something they’d have to strongly consider.

While Holiday is a foundational member of what the Pelicans have been over the past decade, he’s closer to the finish line on his career than the players this team will carry into next season.

The Miami Heat are intent on a 2020 title run and are willing to give up respectable future assets to New Orleans

Adding Jimmy Butler in the offseason on a long term deal, the Miami Heat attempted to open a title window that would really benefit from another All-Star level player in their prime.

While Goran Dragic is a former All-Star and a quality point guard even at 33-years-old, he’s not quite the same player he was during his best years in the mid-2010s.

Pat Riley is always interested in how he can make his roster better, as the architect of three Miami championships over an eight-year span certainly used some creativity in the transaction department to improve his team’s odds.

However, those same risky roster moves are the reason Miami is currently faced with the tax apron, which means any trade they do will need to include direct matching salaries or require a team to take on more money in a deal.

Further, the Miami Heat don’t have many tradeable pieces in the first round under the Stepien rule, which withholds teams from trading consecutive first-round selections. They’re also weighed down by multi-year deals to James Johnson and Dion Waiters, both of whom have hardly seen the floor this season.

They do, on the other hand, have valuable young players like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson who can space the floor with ease, both looking like long-term NBA players with solid offensive acumen.

If the Miami Heat needed to add even one more chip into the mix just to make the assets that much sweeter, they could include a 2022 second-round pick swap that’s the less favorable selection of the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets.

Dealing Jrue Holiday to Miami would make a lot of sense for the Heat, as putting another hardworking, two-way guard next to Jimmy Butler could make them a tough out for any team in the East, let alone in the entirety of the playoff picture.

Looking to make their second consecutive run at a title, the Toronto Raptors give up a good young player to bring in a two-way star

Always looking to make a deal to help augment the firepower on their roster, the Toronto Raptors could be an interesting suitor in a deal for Jrue Holiday.

Sitting in second place in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, the 36-14 record for the Raptors is emblematic of what’s been an impressive championship celebration season following their loss of Kawhi Leonard in the offseason.

While the Milwaukee Bucks are currently ahead of everyone in the East at 43-7, this is a Raptors’ team that knocked the Bucks out in six impressive games in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

One of the few teams that have shown the ability to burden Giannis Antetokounmpo, head coach Nick Nurse and his Raptors could attempt to make another run at the NBA crown if they can add a piece like Jrue Holiday in the mix.

Considering many of their key players are on expiring deals, it might be wise to move now in order to get one last run with some impactful veterans. Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet are all set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and it will cost too much to keep all of them on the payroll.

Adding Holiday to their roster makes them better on defense in particular, as their team already ranks second in defensive rating, but will need all they can get to take down the Bucks again this postseason.

In any package involving Jrue Holiday, the New Orleans Pelicans will want unprotected picks in addition to good, young player talent. Certainly, O.G. Anunoby is someone who fits the talent mold of what the Pelicans are trying to construct.

The team is currently $14.6 million under the luxury tax line, so they do have the ability to absorb a bad contract if it brings back favorable chips.

Seeing the weak spot in the West, the Denver Nuggets get aggressive and make the New Orleans Pelicans swap Jrue Holiday

Seeking to upgrade their chances at a title push by the end of the season, the Denver Nuggets fit the profile of a team with a limited current title window and has the right combination of assets to make a deal for Jrue Holiday if they truly wanted to get something done.

There’s a continuing arms race in the Western Conference, as other playoff teams around the conference are adding players to help compete with the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, both of whom are in the arms race themselves.

In fact, the Nuggets have already been active on the NBA trade market, moving Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasly to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a part of a larger trade.

Acquiring limited chips in the wild Clint Capela trade that took place last night, the Denver Nuggets now have an extra unprotected pick at their disposal to make a move, one that could catapult their chances at a title chase.

While the New Orleans Pelicans have their own hyped rookie, the Nuggets have been enjoying the rise of 20-year-old small forward Michael Porter Jr., who looks like a star in the making despite playing limited minutes.

On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets have been unwilling to include Porter Jr. in any trade package up to this point, so in that case, their best package would likely have to include a quality young player, but more importantly, quite a few unprotected draft assets.

Making a deal with Denver seems like the most likely route for a Jrue Holiday trade due to their collection of players on matching salaries and unscathed draft assets.

Would the New Orleans Pelicans be willing to absorb the multiple years left on Gary Harris‘s contract in a trade that brings them plenty of favorable assets? That’s a question best asked to Trajan Langdon and David Griffin.