Jrue Holiday Re-Signing Is Pelicans' Top Priority, Alvin Gentry Says
The New Orleans Pelicans will make a concerted effort to keep guard Jrue Holiday past July 1.
Head coach Alvin Gentry appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio Tuesday and said re-signing Holiday was "a No. 1 priority" for the team.
After spending his first four NBA seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers—during which time he earned his lone All-Star berth in 2012-13—Holiday came to the Pelicans during the 2013 offseason. Since his arrival in New Orleans, health has been a pressing concern, as the 26-year-old played only 206 of a possible 328 games during his first four years with the Pelicans.
It is no wonder New Orleans wants the pending unrestricted free agent back. When healthy, he is a formidable point guard who would give the Pelicans a third scoring option alongside big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins:
| 2009-10 | 73 | 8.0 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 39.0 |
| 2010-11 | 82 | 14.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 36.5 |
| 2011-12 | 65 | 13.5 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 38.0 |
| 2012-13 | 78 | 17.7 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 36.8 |
| 2013-14 | 34 | 14.3 | 7.9 | 1.6 | 39.0 |
| 2014-15 | 40 | 14.8 | 6.9 | 1.6 | 37.8 |
| 2015-16 | 65 | 16.8 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 33.6 |
| 2016-17 | 67 | 15.4 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 35.6 |
New Orleans has made the playoffs once in the last six campaigns, but pairing Holiday with those two All-Star big men for an entire season would give them a pathway to the postseason in 2017-18.
First, they have to keep him by shelling out the big bucks in free agency.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
