The New Orleans Pelicans should involve the New York Knicks in a trade with the Golden State Warriors.
The New Orleans Pelicans don’t have to make a trade, but it might benefit them to move on from fan-favorite Jrue Holiday.
This really has nothing to do with Holiday as a player, but his contract doesn’t necessarily match up with the contractual timelines of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson.
It is possible that the New Orleans Pelicans can keep them all, but more than likely one of the four will have to be traded in order to keep the core intact for the long-term. Being that he is 30-years-old and making $27 million, Holiday seems like the prime candidate.
Holiday will also net the most in a trade, as there are several contending teams, including the Warriors, Clippers and Nuggets, who would love to add a proven piece like Jrue Holiday.
The problem for the Pelicans is that to trade Holiday they either need to find a team with cap space who can absorb his contract without sending a big one back, or take back the equivalent in money.
Most of the contending teams don’t have such a contract, and if they do, it’s not one the Pelicans would necessarily want to take back.
This is why the New Orleans Pelicans might need to involve a third team, a team with the cap space to take the contract they don’t want in exchange for an asset.
The New York Knicks could be the perfect team.
Here is a trade for Jrue Holiday that would allow the Pelicans to get the assets they want without taking on additional years or bad contracts to do it.