With a new coach in hand, the New Orleans Pelicans are moving forward with their off-season plans and those plans appear to include potentially dealing their franchise star. On Wednesday morning, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans were “openly discussing” Jrue Holiday in trade talks. Charania also noted that multiple contenders were pursuing a deal.
The Pelicans would hold all of the leverage and negotiating power in trade discussions. The Pelicans are in a position to compete for a playoff spot once again like last season and Holiday would be a big part of that. The main argument for not bringing back Holiday to the team is that he is on a different timeline than the rest of the roster’s core.
In the same vein, Holiday’s trade value will never be higher. At 30 years old, Holiday is at his peak but will soon be on the decline in coming years. For contending teams, this will be the last time they would view Holiday as a commodity worth a high price.
The Pelicans would likely require a high price to part with Holiday, who has also established himself as a franchise cornerstone. It’s worth noting the team explored trades with Holiday during last season’s trade deadline before Holiday asked to stay in New Orleans. While it’s not required, a trade of Holiday now would, presumably, include him signing off on a deal.
