Rumor: Nuggets in ‘hot’ pursuit of Jrue Holiday trade

Could the Denver Nuggets actually swing a trade for Jrue Holiday this offseason?

While the Denver Nuggets trading for Jrue Holiday still has the feeling of a pipe dream, it looks as if it’s a dream that the Nuggets organization is sharing with the fan base.

Per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the Nuggets are one of the nearly 10 teams who have approached the New Orleans Pelicans about a trade for Holiday. Denver’s pursuit of Holiday is described as ‘hot,’ indicating a high level of desire from the Nuggets’ top decision-makers to bring the 11-year veteran into the fold:

"According to sources, around 10 teams are inquiring about his services and one team hot after him is the Denver Nuggets, eager to capitalize on their appearance in the West Finals."

Of course, the question about any hypothetical trade — especially one of this proportion — is what will it take for the deal to get done.

Already, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is rumored to be all but untouchable, likely joining Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on Denver’s short list of players who they’re unwilling to move. Meanwhile, Will Barton and Gary Harris — two of the Nuggets’ best wings — could likely get the conversation on a Holiday trade started.

Goodwill notes that an anonymous executive theorizes that a sign-and-trade could happen with Jerami Grant, who is expected to decline his $9.3 million player option this offseason; and that may be the most feasible route.

What the trade may look like

As Holiday will make $25.4 million next season, trading Harris and Grant could get Denver close to a deal for the two-time All-Defensive team selection.

If a sweetener is needed, the Nuggets could either trade their first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft (or the player they select with the pick) and other first-round picks.

What the move does for the Nuggets

Hypothetical trade scenarios aside, trading for Holiday might be the transaction that moves Denver up to a higher tier.

A starting lineup with Jokic, Murray, Holiday, Barton and Porter brings to memory the Detroit Pistons of the mid-to-late 2000s, a team started Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace while being one of the league’s most dominant teams.

Of course, Big Ben and the Big Honey have completely different games but what drove those Pistons teams was their seemingly seamless fit; that’s what the Nuggets will hope for when they bring Holiday — a better facilitator and shooter than Harris — on board.

Essentially, this trade scenario would have Denver swapping out Harris for Holiday and Grant for Will Barton. Simply put, the Nuggets would be a more talented team than they were in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

When will the trade happen?

Although this is a trade that could happen in the offseason, it seems like one that would be more realistic around next season’s trade deadline. Not only would Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy have a better idea of what he wants his roster and rotation to look like but the franchise gets to see how well Holiday fits next season.

That said, team records will also come into play. If the Nuggets are underachieving, they’ll be more interested in a trade for Holiday and if New Orleans is having a rough season, they may be more willing to believe that a shake-up is needed.