NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick and Knicks
The NBA trade deadline is not until February 6, 2020, but the rumor mill is impatient. With the New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans experiencing expected turbulence, some legitimate players are probably going to have to relocate their Christmas trees this holiday season.
For the Knicks, those pieces potentially available are Dennis Smith Jr. and Julius Randle. For the Pelicans, they are the coveted JJ Redick and Jrue Holiday.
Redick, and the oft-rumored Oklahoma City Thunder's Chris Paul, could be unlikely to move this season. But, Smith Jr., Randle and Holiday seem to be fair game.
From the Hudson River to the...Land of 10,000 Lakes?
According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks are open to moving Dennis Smith Jr., and the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in receiving him. According to Newsday's Steve Popper, Julius Randle is also a candidate for relocation.
While Randle does not have any rumored landing spots just yet, Minnesota is a sensible spot for Smith Jr., as the inconsistent Timberwolves continue to search for a point guard. After benching Jeff Teague, the position has been manned mostly by Andrew Wiggins and rookie Jarrett Culver.
Neither is much of a playmaker, let alone a game-managing point guard. Smith Jr. may also be on the shoot-first side at the position, but it still could be his true role if he starts realising his potential.
Randle and Smith Jr. are both similar in that they are each inefficient scorers who have the talent, and the bite, to light games up. Each has shown enough flashes of versatility to back up their seemingly can't-guard-me attitudes. Despite that, those sorts of wild cards are unhelpful for the development of New York's younger pieces like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson (and for the development of a basketball team committed to teamwork).
While Randle is better and his contributions more proved, he is weighed down by a three-year, $63 million contract. His trade value is unclear and, unless it drops incredibly low, only teams outside of contention or without a team identity, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, are likely to give up any forward-looking assets for him.
As for Smith Jr., his contract is affordable and his price should be reasonable. A heavily-protected first-rounder could do the trick, but Minnesota would probably package a second-rounder with 21-year-old Josh Okogie to complete the deal.
Holiday in the Bayou (Until the New Year)
While The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor's sources have confirmed that "Miami's interest in [Chris] Paul is extinct," leaving Paul without any other rumored landing spots currently, there is an even-more notable point guard drawing trade talks. Teams wanted Jrue Holiday last season but were emphatically shut down. This season, that seems to have changed.
Marc Stein reported that, unlike JJ Redick, Holiday is available, for the right price, this time around. The former all-star is averaging 19.4 points, 6.6 assists and 1.7 steals this season in New Orleans—but his defense and comfort managing a team are what put him over the top as a top-tier guard in the league.
At 29 years old, the Pelicans can move on from Holiday in favor of younger assets who are more of a fit for their timeline. Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are all under 22 years old, and the team is at least a couple of years away from seriously competing.
Still, Holiday is too talented a player to give up cheaply and it's unclear that any team will give up enough draft assets to tempt New Orleans. The Miami Heat could create a package around the 23-year-old Justise Winslow, and the Milwaukee Bucks could see if an Eric Bledsoe stopgap with the 22-year-old Donte DiVincenzo's potential is tempting enough, but nothing stands out as perfect.
For any team to acquire Holiday, the Pelicans should require lightly protected draft assets with a steadying role player or young talent with clear upside. With time left before the trade deadline, it's likely that teams will continue weighing their options and evaluating their talent until late-January before jumping headfirst into a move for Holiday.
