Jrue Holiday Trade Rumors: Nuggets Seen as 'Strong Threat' to Land Pelicans SG
The Denver Nuggets are reportedly considered a "strong threat" to land New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday in a trade.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported the Nuggets are one of "several" teams that have attempted to trade into the top 10 of Wednesday's draft to reroute the pick to New Orleans.
The Nuggets have a number of ready-made young talents who could head to the Pelicans without the need for a high draft pick being attached.
Denver's trade package would almost certainly be headed by Gary Harris for salary-matching purposes, along with young players like Bol Bol and PJ Dozier and a first-round pick. It would be a major surprise if the Nuggets were willing to part with Michael Porter Jr. in trade talks for Holiday, who is a very good two-way player who nevertheless has just one All-Star selection to his name.
Holiday would instantly step into the starting lineup next to Jamal Murray, giving Denver one of the strongest backcourts in the NBA. Murray excelled in the postseason as an iso-scoring maven with the ball in his hands, and Holiday is capable of playing off the ball while defending the opposing team's lead ball-handler.
Coming off a run to the Western Conference Finals, Denver fashions itself as a championship contender. Adding Holiday would give the Nuggets one of the most complete rotations in the sport, especially if Porter winds up blossoming into a bona fide star.
The Pelicans are in the midst of a rebuild around Zion Williamson, and the 30-year-old Holiday is an imperfect fit to their contention timeline despite being beloved in the locker room.
