Jrue Holiday Trade Rumors: Nuggets Tried to Get SG for Will Barton, Gary Harris

The Denver Nuggets reportedly tried to acquire New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Jrue Holiday for guard Gary Harris and wing Will Barton at the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

Michael Scotto discussed the situation on the HoopsHype Podcast: 

"The Nuggets, I had heard, back toward the trade deadline, made a run to try to acquire him. Guys like Will Barton and Gary Harris being dangled out there. Obviously that didn't come to fruition, but it'd be interesting to see if those talks resurface again and if Denver can maybe add something else to that to get it over the hump."

Scotto added that Holiday is "a guy that's certainly is going to have interest around the league."

Holiday averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Pels during the 2019-20 campaign. He also finished 16th out of 138 qualified shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus, per ESPN.com.

Barton averaged 15.1 points and a career-high 6.3 rebounds per contest , while Harris posted 10.4 points and 2.9 boards and finished fourth in defensive real plus-minus among shooting guards.

Holiday is due $25.1 million in base salary next season and has a 2021-22 player option for $26.3 million.

The 30-year-old would theoretically be a better fit on the Nuggets—a title-contending team that reached the Western Conference Finals last year—than the Pels, a young and rebuilding franchise built around superstar Zion Williamson.

Holiday could slide into shooting guard alongside Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray, instantly helping to keep Denver as a top threat in the West.

However, the Nuggets likely wouldn't be the only team interested in Holiday's services given his excellent two-way game.

Still, Mike Singer of the Denver Post believes Holiday makes sense in the Mile High City: "I love it. I strongly believe the Holiday-Denver chatter is still real. League insiders believe there aren’t too many realistic landing spots for Holiday, assuming the Pelicans want to move him. At some point, all the rumors take a toll and they might have no choice but to move him."

The 2020 NBA draft is scheduled for Wednesday, while free agency will open next Friday. The 2020-21 season will begin Dec. 22.