If there is one New Orleans Pelicans player who is really getting the short end of the stick now that Anthony Davis has asked for a trade, it's Jrue Holiday.
During the summer of 2017, Holiday signed a five-year, $132 million contract to remain in New Orleans at least through 2021 (he has a player option for 2022).
Apparently, the only reason that Holiday really re-signed with the Pelicans was because of the presence of Davis:
Holiday said AD is “90 percent of the reason I stayed”.
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) January 28, 2019
And who could blame him?
New Orleans is not exactly a free-agent hot spot, as even with Davis, the Pelicans have been unable to attract free agents since the superstar big man entered the league in 2012.
Plus, it's not like New Orleans has been some perennial contender with Davis in tow, as the Pelicans have made the playoffs just twice during Davis' seven-year tenure, making it to the second round before losing to the Golden State Warriors last season.
Back in 2015, the Pelicans made their first postseason appearance with Davis and were swept by the Warriors in the first round.
Holiday finally began getting national recognition during last year's playoffs, when his two-way performance against the Portland Trail Blazers had both fans and the media buzzing about how underrated he was.
Now, it looks like Holiday will end up being the lone ranger in New Orleans.
To be fair, though, Holiday does have trade value in spite of his massive contract, so it's entirely possible that the Pelicans will also be able to re-home him this coming summer.
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