What will the Denver Nuggets have to give up in order to add Jrue Holiday to their championship puzzle?
Due to the interest that they had in him prior to the 2020 NBA trade deadline, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday has emerged as the star the Denver Nuggets will most likely have interest in this offseason.
With the Nuggets having the look of a team that needs just one more piece to be over-the-top with talent, the addition of Holiday is sensible and desirable. However, like any transaction that’s supposed to bring a top-tier talent to a team, the details can be tricky and the proposed packages can be undesirable.
That said, Denver has to find the right balance between giving up players (and picks) they value and building the Nuggets into the perennial championship contender that they’re right on the cusp of being.
Below, NuggLove looks at three trade scenarios that could bring The Jruth to the Mile High.
A Win-Now Move
Let’s go ahead and get this proposal out of the way.
Not because it’s unlikely that the Pelicans would accept it; quite the contrary actually. If anything, this may be a package that New Orleans requests but that the Nuggets are unlikely to see through.
In this trade scenario, Denver acquires Holiday in exchange for Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr. and the first-round pick that they hold in the 2020 NBA Draft.
When simply comparing skillsets, this leads to the Nuggets giving away a two-way playmaker (Barton), a skilled sharpshooter (Porter) and a potential diamond in the rough (their draft pick) for an elite two-way playmaker (Holiday). That should be enough for the Pelicans.
When you factor in that each of these players has two seasons left on their contracts and their ages (Holiday is 30-years-old while Barton is 29 and Porter is 22), this is even more of a win for New Orleans. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising for Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin to try to pry more from Denver.
Jerami for Jrue?
Out of all the players that the Nuggets could offer for Holiday, Jerami Grant — who will be a free agent and need to be moved in a sign-and-trade if he declines his player option for the 2020-21 season — is the best fit of any player not named Jamal Murray.
Grant, who can play both forward spots, is a smooth athlete who can make an impact on both ends of the floor without needing high-usage. Having developed into a strong off-ball player, he would play well off of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson; even better than Holiday himself perhaps.
Best of all, he can play power forward in small-ball lineups that place Zion at center and small forward in bigger lineups that see Ingram at shooting guard. He can start or come off the bench with equal importance.
Monte Morris, a steady and reliable backup point guard with a strong basketball IQ, helps the Pelicans manufacture the facilitating that will go out the door with Holiday. Meanwhile, the 22nd overall pick could help New Orleans replace one of several free agents.
Meanwhile, Denver gets their man in Holiday while retaining the vast majority of the talent they already have.
Finesse The Finesser
In this trade, the Nuggets are able to acquire Holiday in exchange for Gary Harris and three consecutive first-round picks.
Notably, they’re able to retain the majority of their current talent while adding an underrated star. If they’re able to add Holiday to a core that contains Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Will Barton and potentially Jerami Grant, they’ll have one of the best teams in the league on paper.
There’s a legitimate reason to doubt that the Pelicans would accept this trade though.
For starters, they’re only getting one or two players that could help them dull the loss of Holiday in the immediate future. Secondly, although Harris can certainly replace what New Orleans loses by trading away Holiday on the defensive end, what they’ll be losing from Holiday offensively has a low chance of being brought in with G’ (unless he returns to 2017-18 form).
Lastly, the strength of the Nuggets’ roster in this trade scenario limits the value of the first-round picks they’re surrendering in 2021 and 2022.
What do you think of these trade scenarios? Let us know on Twitter @Nugg_Love or Facebook.