NBA Rumors: Nets Could Acquire Jrue Holiday & Aaron Gordon In Three-Team Deal Involving Pelicans & Magic
In a recent article, Preston Ellis of Bleacher Report created a list of trades that could have a tremendous effect on the outcome of the 2020-21 NBA season. These include a three-team blockbuster deal that would send New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday and Orlando Magic small forward Aaron Gordon to the Brooklyn Nets this fall. In the proposed scenario by Bleacher Report, the Nets would get Holiday and Gordon; the Pelicans would receive Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen, and a 2021 first-round pick; and the Magic would acquire Caris LeVert.
Though it would cost them three essential members of their core, the potential deal makes a lot of sense for the Nets. In exchange for LeVert, Allen, and Dinwiddie, the Nets would be acquiring two quality players in Holiday and Gordon that would help Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving carry the team.
“From Brooklyn’s point of view, this deal is a slam dunk. The Nets will get plenty of scoring from Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. They need high-end complementary players who can defend. Arguably no one does that better or offers more versatility on that end than Holiday or Gordon. And each can create on the offensive end when forced to do so. Moving on from Jarrett Allen immediately alleviates the uncomfortable logjam between him and DeAndre Jordan. With a unit of Kyrie-Jrue-Gordon-Durant-Jordan, the Nets would inarguably become the title favorite.”
Holiday and Gordon would not only give the Nets two reliable scoring options next to Durant and Irving, they are also two great defenders. Some people may question Holiday’s fit in Brooklyn, especially with the presence of Irving in their backcourt. However — though he’s also a playmaker — Holiday has proven on numerous occasions that he could also efficiently play at the shooting guard position and excel in an off-ball capacity.
Once Holiday and Gordon mesh well with Irving, Durant, and Jordan, Ellis believes the Nets would become the heavy favorite to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year. The suggested trade would also be beneficial for the Pelicans and the Magic. Dinwiddie would give New Orleans a veteran point guard who won’t mind serving as the primary backup for Lonzo Ball, while Allen would help them address their need for a starting-caliber center who fits the timeline of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
In exchange for Gordon, the Magic would be receiving a potential franchise cornerstone in LeVert. While he already blossomed into an All-Star caliber talent last season, being traded to a team that could give him more playing time and a significant role on the offensive end of the floor could further speed up his development into a legitimate superstar.
