At 23-28 in the high-powered Western Conference, the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t going anywhere this season.
And, with franchise cornerstone Anthony Davis requesting a trade in advance of next month’s trade deadline (and the team possibly honoring it), they will almost certainly be in rebuilding mode next season.
That’s why it may make sense to move their second-best player, Jrue Holiday, if they do in fact move their best player (Davis) at the deadline.
The fact is, it just doesn’t make sense to keep a player of Holiday’s caliber (he’s averaging 21.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals this season) on the roster to go through a rebuild, especially when he should be able to fetch a cache of assets.
And moving him shouldn’t be a problem as Holiday would likely welcome the chance to play for a contender as he previously said it was Davis that kept him in New Orleans.
“He was like 90 percent the reason I stayed,” Holiday, who signed a five-year, $131 million deal in 2017 said on Monday. “He’s a brother to me. We understand.”
The question is: Would the Pelicans free Holiday?
“His contract isn’t too palatable and many still believe he is not worth the money he was paid,” according to The Ringer. “Holiday still has at least two years of over $25 million remaining with a player option for another $26 million in 2021, but his track record shows he could be an expensive yet perfect fit for any willing contender.”
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