By Jordan Long
The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to rebuild their team. They are eyeing trading Jrue Holiday. Holiday would like to go to a contender. The Denver Nuggets could be that team.
Holiday is an 11 year NBA veteran. For the past 7 years, he has been with the New Orleans Pelicans as their starting shooting guard. Last season on offense he averaged 19.1 points and 6.7 assists per game. On defense, he stole the ball 1.6 times while averaging 4.8 rebounds per game.
The Nuggets need another scorer on their team. They can rely on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. In the regular season Jokic averaged 19.9 points per game while Murray added 18.5 points per game. After that, the Nuggets leaned on Will Barton who totaled 15.1 points per game. This helped the Nuggets reach the #3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
When it came to the postseason, Murray and Jokic were the only Nuggets to take their game to the next level. Murray was their best scorer , averaging 26.5 points per game while Jokic scored 24.4 points per game. The Nuggets didn’t have that great of shooters after them.
Denver has been linked to Holiday. They would like to add another piece on offense to make a championship run. Denver may have to give up a few players for Holiday. New Orleans might ask about Michael Porter Jr. but Denver has already said they will not deal him away. That leaves Denver to deal Gary Harris to New Orleans.
Harris plays the same position as Holiday. Last year, Harris appeared in 56 games for Denver while starting 55. He wasn’t as productive as Holiday with 10.4 points per game and 1.4 steals per game. On defense, Holiday is the better player. Harris averaged 1.4 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game.
It could take more than Harris to land Holiday. Denver may have to add Bol Bol and Monte Morris in trade talks. Denver might not want to part with Bol Bol because he hasn’t played a full NBA season and he could be the backup for Jokic for years to come. Morris makes more sense because New Orleans would be receiving another scorer.
It will come down to money. The Nuggets are already paying Jokic around $29.5 million this upcoming season. Murray’s estimated salary is at $27.2 million. Holiday would be another max player at $25 million. If Denver takes that salary on, they would be above the luxury tax, something the organization hasn’t been willing to do.
The Nuggets are trying to close the gap on the L.A. Lakers. Adding Holiday may be the answer. If they feel he is the missing piece for them to win an NBA Championship, then make the move. Otherwise, Denver will look at other free agents for them to become an improved team for the 2021 season.
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