NBA Rumors: GSW Could Acquire Jrue Holiday In Proposed Three-Team Deal Involving Pelicans And Knicks

When the 2019-20 NBA season is officially over, the Golden State Warriors are expected to aggressively pursue their fourth superstar. Though they are currently well beyond the luxury tax threshold, they have a plethora of trade assets to engage in a blockbuster deal this fall. One of the potential targets for the Warriors in the 2020 offseason is Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to Aaron Kellerstrass of Fansided’s Pelican Debrief, the Warriors could acquire Holiday by engaging in a three-way blockbuster deal with the Pelicans and the New York Knicks this fall. In the proposed scenario, Golden State will get Holiday and Darius Miller, the Pelicans will receive Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2021 first-rounder, while the Knicks will obtain Andrew Wiggins and the No. 13 overall selection.

Though it would cost them Wiggins and two of their most precious draft assets, the deal would make a lot of sense for the Warriors. Kellerstrass believes that adding Holiday to the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would help Golden State maximize their championship potential.

“The Golden State Warriors don’t have any time to waste. Their window to win titles is now, so they are not looking to add rookies to their roster, they need proven players. Holiday is a nice fit on their roster because of his defensive versatility. He can defend 1-3 which would give the Warriors a formidable defense on the perimeter with Klay Thompson, who is also a plus-defender. The Warriors are all on the wrong side of 30 and they have limited chances to win another title with the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green, so they are likely to push all their chips into the center of the table to bring home another title.”

Holiday would give the Warriors one of the most underrated two-way players in the league. Aside from being a very reliable scoring option, he could also help in terms of rebounding, playmaking, and defending the perimeter. This season, he 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 beyond the arc, per ESPN.

With his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, Holiday wouldn’t have a hard time fitting in Coach Steve Kerr’s system, enabling the Warriors to create a three-headed monster with Curry and Thompson in their backcourt next year. The proposed trade would also be beneficial for the Knicks and the Pelicans. As compensation for helping facilitate the deal, the Knicks would be receiving a young and promising talent in Wiggins and the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Meanwhile, in exchange for Holiday, the Pelicans would be able to acquire assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process. Randle and Gibson may only be included in the trade for salary-matching purposes, but they could still help the Pelicans become a more competitive team in the Western Conference next season.