The Atlanta Hawks have emerged as possible trade suitor for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
The Hawks own the No. 6 overall pick in the Nov. 18 draft, and per Stein, would be willing to include that in a deal, which could involve multiple teams.
It is widely believed the Pelicans have made Holiday available this offseason — something chief of basketball operations David Griffin did not deny.
“That’s our job. We’ve done that since we got here,” Griffin said during a VIP exclusive with new coach Stan Van Gundy. “We had similar conversations at last year’s trade deadline. Nobody’s actively trying to do anything different than before.”
The Hawks are said to be looking to make a playoff push in Trae Young‘s third season.
NBA teams are expected to be allowed to start making trades by early next week.
The Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns are among the others with a reported interest in Holiday.
“We’re trying to build a team that can be highly competitive today and build toward a sustainable future,” Griffin said. “If that means Jrue is part of that, that’s special for us. He loves being with us and we love the way he plays.”
Holiday averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds last season. He is viewed as one of the league’s premier backcourt defenders.
“Any team trading for Holiday, of course, has to be cognizant of his contractual situation, with the Pelicans’ guard — regarded as one of the league’s foremost two-way players — expected to decline his $27 million option for 2021-22 and become a free agent after this season,” Stein wrote.
