NBA Rumors: Nuggets Could Revisit Plans To Trade For Jrue Holiday In Offseason, Per ‘The Denver Post’
According to a new report, there’s a chance the Denver Nuggets might try trading for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, months after they supposedly considered acquiring him prior to the February trade deadline.
In Saturday’s edition of his Nuggets Mailbag column for The Denver Post, Michael Singer answered a fan’s question about whether the organization should go after a player like Holiday or Victor Oladipo or hang on to wingmen Will Barton and Gary Harris. According to Singer, he expects the Nuggets — who made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers — to “leave no stone unturned” when it comes to their offseason moves.
“There was chatter at the deadline around Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if those discussions get revisited. Holiday has one year left on his contract before he can become a free agent, so the Nuggets would need to assess whether they think he could be a long-term play or if they’re comfortable going for it next season.”
Singer added that it’s possible Denver might use Gary Harris and/or Will Barton as trade bait while trying to acquire Holiday. He added that the team could sweeten the deal with “at least” one or two first-round draft picks, including the No. 22 selection in this year’s draft.
The new speculation on the possibility of Holiday moving to Denver for the 2020-21 season came a few days after former Nuggets head coach George Karl tweeted that the team purportedly wants the two-time All-Defensive selection to start in the backcourt alongside Jamal Murray. He added that the organization should make a move for Holiday, even if it means being “bold” by including promising rookie forward Michael Porter Jr. in the offer. You can view Karl’s tweet here.
As shown on his Basketball-Reference page, Holiday has been with the Pelicans since the 2013-14 season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.6 steals and shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range in 2019-20. While he was a notable veteran presence on a mostly youthful New Orleans team last year, reports have suggested that he will likely be traded in the 2020 offseason, especially since he is 30 years old, thus making him considerably older than core players such as Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Lonzo Ball.
Apart from the Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers have also been mentioned as a possible destination for the veteran guard. One recent trade idea suggested that the Sixers could send star center Joel Embiid to New Orleans in exchange for Holiday, J.J. Redick, Jaxson Hayes, and multiple draft selections.
