As his team continues to struggle in the 2019-20 NBA season, rumors have started to circulate around Jrue Holiday and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans. After months of telling everyone in the league that they have no intention of trading him and undergoing a full-scale rebuild, recent reports suggested that the Pelicans are finally willing to listen to trade offers for the veteran point guard. According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, one team that may consider trading for Holiday before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline is the Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are currently impressing with their performance in the 2019-20 NBA season, sitting at the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 24-4 record. However, despite being considered as the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2020 Finals, the Bucks are still far from being a perfect team. According to Quinn, trading for a player like Holiday would help the Bucks solve two major problems on their roster.
“Eventually, the Bucks are going to have to reckon with two pretty glaring roster flaws. The first is that Eric Bledsoe shrinks in the playoffs. The second is that nobody on their roster outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo can consistently create shots late in games. Holiday solves both problems. He was excellent throughout the 2018-19 playoffs. His clutch track record is mixed, but promising. In his last full season alongside Anthony Davis, Holiday shot over 50 percent from the field in league-defined clutch situations. He isn’t going to carry the clutch load entirely, but he and Khris Middleton could Voltron their way into giving Milwaukee enough of a secondary threat to relieve pressure on Antetokounmpo.”
Holiday would be an incredible addition to the Bucks and as of now, most people would agree that he’s an upgrade over Eric Bledsoe at the point guard position. His potential arrival in Milwaukee would be beneficial for the Bucks, especially when the real battle begins in the 2020 playoffs, as he could serve as a floor general who is familiar with playoff pressure and could take charge in crucial situations. With his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, Holiday likely won’t have a problem fitting in alongside a ball-dominant superstar like Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
The Bucks are indeed an intriguing trade destination for Holiday but bringing him to Milwaukee would be a tough challenge. In addition to a future first-round pick, Quinn speculated that the Bucks could use Donte DiVincenzo and Sterling Brown as trade chips to acquire Holiday from the Pelicans. In any potential deal involving the veteran point guard, the Pelicans would definitely love to receive assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process.
However, it remains a big question mark if the Bucks’ potential trade offer would be enough to convince the Pelicans to engage in a deal. Several teams who have a better collection of trade assets than the Bucks are expected to express interest in acquiring Holiday before the February trade deadline. With the current assets they have, Quinn thinks that the Bucks make more sense as a trade destination for Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder.