In a recently proposed trade idea, Bleacher Report suggested that the Brooklyn Nets could acquire New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday in the offseason, in exchange for two of their core players, guards Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie.
As explained by the publication’s Grant Hughes on Monday, the Pelicans are an organization whose leverage on Holiday “diminishes with every second” that passes until the end of his current contract. While Hughes suggested that LeVert and Dinwiddie could make for a “great haul” for New Orleans, he added that Holiday is still “much better” than the two younger Nets backcourt men, and could further prove to be appealing to Brooklyn because of his defensive ability.
“With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant doing the scoring, somebody will have to check the opponent’s biggest threat,” the Bleacher Report writer continued.
“The goal of moving Holiday from the Pels roster is to force Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson into larger leadership roles. That’s a lot to ask of those two young players, but Ingram made the All-Star team this past season, and Williamson was a dominant offensive force in his limited playing time.”
In addition, Hughes predicted that trading Holiday to Brooklyn could potentially affect the Pelicans’ locker room dynamic, even if they retain his fellow veteran guard, J.J. Redick. While this could result in a “leadership void,” he noted that it’s likely Ingram and Williamson have learned a lot from Holiday in terms of leading the team on and off the court. Additionally, it was suggested that both players could also benefit from playing a bigger role on the defensive end.
According to the Nets’ Basketball-Reference team page, Dinwiddie finished second to Irving in scoring in the 2019-20 season, averaging 20.6 points and adding 3.5 rebounds and a team-leading 6.8 assists per game. LeVert, meanwhile, missed several games due to injuries but averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, starting 31 out of the 45 games he appeared in.
As for Holiday, he produced 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game for the Pelicans in 2019-20 as he remained productive in his 11th season in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference . While he has only played in one All-Star Game in his pro career, he was previously named to two All-Defensive teams.
The Nets are among the many teams that have been linked to Holiday as he continues to be a staple of trade rumors and suggestions. Late last week, The Inquisitr reported that the Denver Nuggets might make another move for the 31-year-old in the offseason, following their rumored attempts to acquire him prior to the February trade deadline.