The Golden State Warriors have a number of trade targets heading into the offseason, and Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday could be their best possible option.
Unlike the last couple of years, the Golden State Warriors are about to find themselves in a critical offseason which will determine whether they can get back into title contention. While the Warriors may not have the cap-space to acquire a big-name free agent, they do have assets to trade for a star.
Having the second overall pick in this upcoming draft and the Timberwolves’ top-3 protected pick in 2021 to go along with Andrew Wiggins, names such as Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been mentioned in trade rumors as potential targets for the Warriors.
While those names are appealing, they each come with a big risk.
Embiid does not fit the Warriors’ style of play and can not defend the perimeter on the switch. Beal may be a great fit offensively but he’s too small and not a great defender. Simmons will provide great defense and playmaking but his shooting may be too big of a concern.
Almost every player in the league has a weakness that makes it tough to gauge their fit, but for some they are greater than others’. That’s why, assuming Giannis is off the table this offseason, the Warriors should go after Jrue Holiday.
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The 30-year-old combo-guard averaged 19.1 points to go with 6.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game on 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from downtown this season for the New Orleans Pelicans.
He is an experienced veteran, a good playmaker and an even better defender, capable of guarding 1s through 4s.
Holiday can be sort of an Andre Iguodala-like contributor for the Warriors, but he can also contribute more offensively with his ability to shoot and score. He may be small, at only 6-foot-3, but his ability to defend bigger players will allow him to play alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson without many issues.
According to NBA insider Tom Habertroh, the Warriors are ‘obviously’ going to try to trade for Holiday: “I think they are going to obviously try to get Jrue Holiday in New Orleans.” Haberstroh speculated to NBC Sports Bay Area, “Jrue Holiday is an elite perimeter defender, he may not have made All-Defense but I think he is right up there with the best perimeter defenders in the league, and I think he’d be a great fit next to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.”
Trading for Jrue Holiday would probably require trading Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors’ second overall pick in the 2020 Draft.
While the Warriors will be giving away some of their future for a player in his 30s, they should still pull the trigger on Holiday as he fits the Big 3’s timeline and will help them win now, while their contention window is still open.