Jrue Holiday’s name and a potential trade appears to be the hot-button topic as the NBA’s off-season kicks into full swing this week. While he was one of the names discussed in Brian Windhorst’s latest Hoop Collective Podcast, he was also one of the subjects of Bleacher Report’s latest article on blockbuster trades.
Unlike most trade proposals regarding Holiday, this trade did not involve him going to either Brooklyn or Denver, but instead a unique team in the Indiana Pacers. And even more uniquely, it does not include Victor Oladipo, another name that has been oft-mentioned in trade talks this off-season.
The proposed trade would send Holiday to Indianapolis for Myles Turner, Doug McDermott or Jeremy Lamb and Washington’s 2021 second-round pick. The immediate reaction is that the return for Holiday is too little, though the framework is interesting. Adding a first round pick into the deal and potentially a player like, ironically, Aaron Holiday would make the deal more intriguing for the Pelicans.
In Turner, New Orleans would get a center that could complement Zion Williamson nearly perfectly. Turner is one of the few bigs that can knock down threes (34.4% last season on 4.0 attempts per game) and defend the rim (2.1 blocks per game).
For Indiana, choosing between Turner and Domantas Sabonis has seemed like an inevitable decision looming for the franchise. In Holiday, the team would get a premier perimeter defender and a player that could both complement Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon or make the former more expendable should he demand to leave.
If the Pelicans can net Turner, a first and another mid-tier asset, it could be the type of deal that allows them to be both competitive and line up the timelines of their roster.
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