Since the departure of Anthony Davis last summer, rumors have been swirling around veteran point Jrue Holiday and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans . Though he recently finished the 2019-20 NBA season with the Pelicans, most people still don’t see Holiday as part of the team’s long-term future . When the season is over, there is speculation that the Pelicans may consider trading Holiday for players that perfectly fit the timeline of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball.
According to Preston Ellis of Bleacher Report , the Pelicans could use Holiday as the main trade chip in the potential blockbuster deal involving the Golden State Warriors’ No. 2 overall pick or the Minnesota Timberwolves’ No. 1 overall pick.
“If the Pelicans can’t re-sign him, they could take a big swing and send him to Golden State for Wiggins and a pick swap of Nos. 2 and 13. The Athletic’s John Hollinger even speculated about adding Minnesota’s top-three protected pick in 2021 to the deal, provided the Pelicans move 36-year-old JJ Redick and take back the contracts of both Wiggins and Kevon Looney. The Timberwolves might be willing to entertain acquiring Holiday for James Johnson (player option in 2020-21) and a pick swap of Nos. 1 and 13. Though the Pelicans would probably loathe doing so, moving Jrue could net them one of the top three players in the draft.”
Trading Holiday to the Warriors or the Timberwolves would make a lot of sense for the Pelicans. The 2020 NBA Draft may not be as loaded as the previous year, but there are still plenty of interesting young prospects like Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Killian Hayes. Using the 2020 first-rounder from Golden State or Minnesota, the Pelicans could immediately find Holiday’s replacement by selecting either Edwards or Ball.
If they don’t have any plan of giving Derrick Favors a huge contract in the 2020 free agency and want to replace him with a younger big man, they may also consider drafting Wiseman. Both the Warriors and the Timberwolves would be intriguing trade destinations for Holiday. In Golden State, he could form a three-headed monster with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in their backcourt.
Compared to New Orleans, the Warriors would give Holiday a realistic chance of winning his first championship title next year. Meanwhile, the potential arrival of Holiday in Minnesota would enable the Timberwolves to create their own “Big Three” in the 2020-21 NBA season. With his ability to excel in an off-ball capacity, he would be the perfect complement to ball-dominant stars like D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns.
