Jrue Holiday Trade Rumors: Where will he end up?
The New Orleans Pelicans have started fielding offers for the 30-year-old Jrue Holiday.
Jrue is one of the best non-All-Star players in the league so he should be able to fetch at least a first-round pick, with at least one solid young player included in the salary filler. Almost any team that’s competing for a title would be able to use Jrue and the skills he has.
Jrue brings top-notch wing defense, guarding fast guards, and bigger wings all at the same. He can switch with ease, being one of the stronger guards in the league, which allows him to guard up to taller wings.
I think gauging Jrue’s trade value is going to be difficult because he’s 30 years old and will be looking to opt-out after this year to get his last long term payday, so any team trading for him will like to have some talks with him on working that out to keep him. I think it would make sense for the Pelicans to get someone with an extra year on their contract, to keep a tradeable contract on the books for next summer. It will benefit their team-building efforts in the long run.
With any Jrue trade, I think shooting has to be of paramount importance to surround Zion and Ingram with capable shooters to space the floor for them. Lonzo and Jaxson Hayes are theoretically long term pieces, but I imagine they get swapped for more draft assets or better shooters in the long run.
For now, let’s take a look at some potential landing spots for Jrue:
Nuggets:
I think the Nuggets have a legit case to trade for and work out an extension with Jrue to be a fit next to Jamal Murray in the backcourt. They have the best asset in Michael Porter Jr, but I don’t think it would take offering him to get Jrue. I have the Nuggets offering Harris, Barton, Bol, and Houston’s FRP they received in the 4 team Covington trade. I think Bol and the first is solid value to give up to trade for Jrue, and this would help Jamal not be the only ball-handler in crunch time, something Jrue can help with. This is probably the best trade they can hope for Jrue because I don’t see any team giving up a lotto pick for him.
Suns:
The Suns could use a guard to pair with Booker who can shoot and create to give him a rest. Jrue would probably be the best fit to provide 3&D Capability next to Booker. The suns might have to include 10 or Oubre in the deal to get this done, but the money works here to get Jrue to Phoenix.
Nets:
The Nets are looking for a third guy to complete their big three with Kyrie and KD. Jrue would be a perfect backcourt complement to Kyrie providing enough spacing and All-NBA wing defense. Levert might be needed for this trade, but these salaries match up perfectly for Jrue to be acquired by the Nets. Probably not the Pelicans’ first choice of an offer, but one that could get the job done.
Mavericks:
The Mavs could really use Jrue to take playmaking duties off Lukas plate every now and then, so it’s not always Luka down the stretch in close games. Jrue would be a valuable help to the Mavs defense, providing wing defense that Dallas desperately needs. This is one of those deals that might require the Dallas first-round pick instead of the Warriors second-round pick, but they only take on Wright for extra salary and could be used in future trades.
These are the top four teams I could see trading for Jrue. Some dark horses include the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers who don’t have quite as appealing contracts or assets. The Pelicans could just hold onto Jrue as he’s such a valuable team leader for this young team. But, David Griffin should be accumulating as many assets as he can while Zion is on his rookie deal, to bolster the roster and to get picks to use in future trades. In the end, I think Jrue gets moved on draft day, November 18th.
