After failing to qualify for the playoffs last season, the New Orleans Pelicans will ounce back under new head coach Stan Van Gundi. To improve their ability to fight elections at the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the Pelicans plan to walk a little with their roster, and include a star point guard, Jru Holiday. According to Athletic’s Shams Charania, Pelican is openly discussing the holiday in trade negotiations and several competitive teams are moving forward.
There are currently two years left on the current holiday contract, which includes more than 26 million player options for the 2021-22 season.
From Athletic:
The New Orleans Pelicans are openly discussing the point guard jury holiday in trade negotiations and some competing teams are interested, sources told Athletic.
The holiday, which has been with the team since 2013, is a popular name in trade discussions as the Pelicans are rebuilt by their younger players. Considered to be one of the better defenders in his position in the league, the one-time-l-star could boost any competitive roster.
Holiday was the 2020 NBA Team of the Year, so his locker-room presence is something that could attract other teams. He is embarking on a 2019-20 campaign where he averages 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Pelicans executive David Griffin addressed the latest report on Wednesday, and while he did not deny that the team listens to offers fur, he made it clear that they are not determined to move on from the holiday.
“Jru and Lauren are special people and they have been a special part of this team and a special part of this community.” Griffin said with fans in a virtual Q&A. “It’s something when you read something like that, you think something might have happened, although it’s news that we’re hearing trade discussions around a player. That’s our job. We’ve done that since I came here. We had a similar conversation on last year’s trade deadline. No one is actively trying to do anything different than before. We are trying to build a team that can be very competitive today and move towards a sustainable future.
“If that means Jru is a part of it, it’s special to us because he likes to be with us and we like the way he plays. If the best way to move into the future and put him in the best position. The way to be successful is to trade for what happens, but it happens because you are trying to move towards a sustainable future and Jru is trying to get himself in the best position to win. And we don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t continue. ”
This is not the first time Holiday’s name has come up in trade negotiations since late last season when the Nets and Pelicans discussed a pre-trade deadline. The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat also chased the holiday last season. Those teams may still be interested in acquiring the former All-Star. As an elite perimeter defender capable of playing both ball and ball on offensive ends, Holiday’s set of skills is ideal for today’s game. That way, other contenders like the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers will be able to use the player of his people.
While the holiday is very valuable for Pelican, he will soon be on the team formed to win. The young Pelican, who will probably try to build his team around second-year star Zion Williamson, appears a few years away from the true argument. 30, through the Holiday trade, New Le Relens will likely add younger pieces that align better with his team timeline. With an average of 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds last season, he still has a lot of good ball left, and it could eventually prove to be a big boon for a competitive team capable of landing him.
