NBA Rumors: Pelicans Could Trade Jrue Holiday To Heat For Herro, Nunn & Iguodala, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
Since the 2019 NBA offseason, the Miami Heat have been active on the trade market, searching for another superstar to pair with Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo may have blossomed into an All-Star caliber player in the 2019-20 season, but in order to have a realistic chance of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship title, the Heat obviously need more star power on their roster. One superstar the Heat could target on the trade market this summer is Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans may continue to insist they still view Holiday as part of their long-term future, but they could change their mind about keeping the veteran point guard if the right deal comes along. According to Preston Ellis of Bleacher Report, New Orleans “would be foolish not to consider” trading Holiday to Miami if the Heat offer them a trade package that includes Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Andre Iguodala.
“However, if Riley were to offer Herro, Nunn and Andre Iguodala for the point guard, the Pelicans would be foolish not to consider. Nunn’s superb playmaking and high-volume scoring have made him a three-time Rookie of the Month, establishing him as an ideal spark plug off the bench who would fit with these Pelicans. Herro’s off-ball movement and elite shooting touch already make him one of just three rookies ever to shoot 39 percent from three while firing at least five bombs per game. The Pelicans would be hard-pressed to find a better complement to Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.”
With Herro and Nunn only 20 and 24, respectively, they would be an incredible addition to the Pelicans’ young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Josh Hart. Both men may still be young and lack experience, but they are currently among the most promising players in the league. Though Iguodala is only included in the deal for salary-matching purposes, he would still be a valuable acquisition for the Pelicans. He could be a great mentor to the team’s young players, and as Ellis noted, New Orleans could also use him as a movable asset to add more future first-round picks to their collection.
Trading Herro and Nunn would undeniably be a tough decision for the Heat, but it would definitely be worth it if it meant acquiring a player of Holiday’s caliber. Holiday would tremendously boost the Heat’s performance on both ends of the floor, giving Butler and Adebayo an All-Star caliber teammate that could help them capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2020-21 season. Holiday may not have shown any indication that he’s no longer happy with the Pelicans, but at this point in his NBA career, he would definitely be better off playing for a legitimate title contender than wasting his prime years on a rebuilding team.
