NBA Rumors: Jrue Holiday Could Be Traded To Hawks For Dewayne Dedmon, Kevin Huerter, And No. 6 Pick
Since the departure of Anthony Davis last summer, rumors have been continuously swirling around Jrue Holiday and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans. No matter how many times the team insists that they still consider him as part of their long-term plan, most people see Holiday as one of the most coveted players in the trade market in the 2020 offseason. Once he becomes officially available on the trading block, he is highly likely to receive strong interest from teams that are looking to improve their backcourt and add star power to their roster this fall.
Among the potential suitors for Holiday are the Atlanta Hawks. According to Aaron Kellerstrass of Fansided’s Pelican Debrief, the Hawks might consider a package that includes Dewayne Dedmon, Kevin Huerter, and the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft in exchange for Holiday. If the deal becomes a reality, Kellerstrass believes that it would help both teams improve their roster.
“In this trade the Pelicans would get a serviceable big in Dewayne Dedmon to replace Derrick Favors, a young, elite shooter in Kevin Huerter and the 6th pick in the 2020 draft, which they could use to grab another potential impact talent. This would also free up cap space that the Pels could use to re-sign Josh Hart or another future free agent. Huerter could replace J.J. Redick, giving the Pels another potential trade piece to grab assets. The Pels would almost certainly prefer De’Andre Hunter over Dedmon, but Atlanta might view that as too damaging to their future core.”
Holiday would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Hawks. He may not be on the same level as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, but he could help the Hawks become a more competitive team in the Eastern Conference next season. Holiday would give the Hawks an All-Star caliber point guard who could ease the load on Trae Young’s shoulders in terms of scoring and playmaking.
Aside from being a prolific scorer, Holiday can also rebound, run the floor, defend the perimeter, and efficiently knock down shots from beyond the arc. This season, the 30-year-old floor general averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range, per ESPN. Though point guard is Holiday’s natural position, he has no problem moving at the shooting guard position. Also, with his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, he would be the ideal running mate for Young when the Hawks try to end their playoff drought next year.
