New Orleans Pelicans: 3-team Jrue Holiday trade with Celtics and Pacers

New Orleans Pelicans trade rumors: Boston Celtics want Jrue Holiday

Why Boston would do it

The Boston Celtics have an amazing young core of players, a ton of draft assets and some intriguing veterans, so they will be involved in a lot of trade rumors.

The Celtics are very good but they have to wonder if their current ceiling is “Eastern Conference Finals” and no more.

They’d love to shore up their interior and could be the best perimeter defensive team in the NBA If they were to add Jrue Holiday.

They’d essentially be trading all of their 2020 draft assets, Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward for Jrue Holiday and Myles Turner.

Would they push in all of their chips for this exchange? I am not sure.

Walker was great in the regular season but didn’t play as well in the playoffs, whereas Holiday has had some of his biggest games in the postseason.

Holiday can also defend the other team’s best guard, which Walker can’t. This would give the Celtics two of the best guard defenders in the league in Smart and Holiday. Turner provides the rim protection and floor spacing they lacked.

It would be a calculated risk for the Celtics but it makes sense. Hayward is a luxury when you have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and Holiday gives plus-defense while replacing almost all of Walker’s offense.

Myles Turner is a lot better than any big the Celtics currently have and a lineup of Holiday, Smart, Tatum, Brown and Turner is not only better defensively, but much more versatile on offense as well.

The Celtics wouldn’t hang up the phone.