There has been a constant swirling of rumors zoned in on New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday. After the hiring of Stan Van Gundy, it's been a strong belief by many league spectators that the Big Easy city will be moving on from its beloved guard after an enduring seven seasons. While Holiday has made the most of his time in New Orleans, with the front office and the fans there surely adoring him for it, his production hasn't allowed the Pelicans to move the needle on their postseason success during his tenure.
Those failures haven't rested solely in his hands, as the Pelicans have had stars such as Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins grace the Smoothie King Center hardwood as well, but as those phases have come to an end, so must Holiday's. The Pelicans are obviously looking to go young after securing Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick last year during the 2019 NBA Draft. They've also been rumored to believe that Brandon Ingram can become another face of the franchise alongside Williamson for the long haul, leaving little room for Holiday in their expansion.
Holiday is on the books with the Pelicans for the 2020-21 season with a salary of roughly $25 million. He has a player option in the following offseason that he would likely exercise, given his unlikeliness of commanding such a salary once more in an open market.
Here's a few places that could use Holiday's talents next season.
4. Denver Nuggets
It's already been rumored that the Nuggets will be looking to obtain the Pelicans guard, though the means to acquire him could be hefty given his salary for the 2020-21 season. Even so, if the Nuggets are able to pull off such a trade and add Jrue Holiday alongside Jamal Murray in the backcourt, they could be in look for next season. The Nuggets might've slightly overpaid Gary Harris when they agreed on his $84 million contract, which hasn't panned out to its full potential yet.
Where the Nuggets could make up for it is in adding a much-needed veteran presence with Murray, given the Nuggets a viable second option on the nights where Murray can't make his shot fall. Denver already has strong pieces as well in Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic; adding Holiday to the mix gives them an entirely new elevated offense.
3. Indiana Pacers
If the often-reported rumors of the Indiana Pacers' desires this offseason are indeed true, they'll be looking for talent in return of letting go of their only All-Star. Oladipo has been reported of wanting out of Indiana, which could suggest that his return from his season-ending injuries has been hobbled by his location rather than the injury itself.
The Pacers were able to put the league on notice for a brief time in the Disney bubble before being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. Even so, they went berserk during the remaining games of the regular season in August, winning six of their eight contests. Much of this was possible due to the breakout performances of TJ Warren, who newly hired head coach Nate Bjorkgren will surely make a focal point next season. Adding Holiday in the backcourt gives some surefire scoring while also adding a scoring guard capable of creating offense for the likes of Warren and Myles Turner.
Holiday could also pair well with Brogdon in the backcourt, giving them the scoring aspect that Brogdon doesn't always present. A backcourt with Malcolm Brogdon and Holiday would be a stellar defensive stance to deploy also.
2. Miami Heat
The Heat have already been reported to be interested in making a deal for the All-Star guard, what matters next is having the ability to pull it off. The Heat have multiple pieces they could entice the Pelicans with in order to get the deal done. After coming within a few games of securing the 2020 NBA championship, they'll surely be looking to increase their offensive output ahead of next season.
The Heat's roster is full of astounding role players along with a few stars (or soon-to-be stars). If they can manage to re-sign Goran Dragic to pair with Holiday in the backcourt, then things become a little more interesting. Miami will already be in the market to retain an even bigger name such as Bradley Beal or Giannis Antetokounmpo, but both of those plans could fall through immediately, leaving them to opt for someone of Holiday's caliber.
Miami has transitioned into a juggernaut 3-point shooting squad, which is also an area that Jrue Holiday can assist in as well. He finished last season shooting 35.3 percent from deep while going 45 percent overall from the field.
Even so, boasting Holiday on your roster is much of an improvement compared to last year.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
There's much to gain from both sides in securing a deal such as this. The Bucks could begin to fulfill on their promises to their star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's surveying every major and minor move the Bucks make this offseason. The Cream City franchise will already have their hands full attempting to field off calls about the MVP's availability. They could best help themselves by jumping ahead of the pack and securing another All-Star to pair with Antetokounmpo. If they're able to make consecutive moves as well, they'd throw themselves back into contender status beyond the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks have a lot of moves to make this offseason in regards to their supporting cast, so it's unclear as to whom would be paired with Holiday in the backcourt. Even so, the move adds some much-needed bulking to their offense. Many a times the duties were placed on Khris Middleton in the event that Antetokounmpo was sitting, which often spelled trouble for their offense. Not only is Holiday a legitimate scorer, he also brings some swell playmaking. The UCLA product finished last season averaging 6.7 assists per game, which ranks higher than any current player the Bucks have.
If the Bucks can somehow manage to snag Jrue Holiday, it furthers their chances of retaining Antetokounmpo in the 2021 offseason.
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