The NBA Draft is just around the corner and teams are trying to posture for the best position they can to land the players that they need to succeed. Not everyone has a first round pick though as the New Orleans Pelicans are among a handful of teams without a first round draft pick this year.
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According to NOLA.com, the Pelicans are indeed trying to trade into the first round but they won’t be trading Jrue Holiday to get there. That seems to fly in the face of a report that the Kings are offering the eighth pick in exchange for Holiday.
"One internet report speculated over the weekend the Pelicans have had conversations with the Sacramento Kings to secure their eighth overall pick in the first round in exchange for starting point guard Jrue Holiday.But a league source confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Holiday has not been included in any trade discussions by the Pelicans to secure a draft pick."
The Kings may very well be offering the No. 8 pick for Holiday but the Pelican have no interest in moving him at all before or after the draft. The acquisition of Holiday last summer is what put New Orleans in this current bind, and the presence of Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers hasn’t shaken the Pelicans off the mindset that Holiday is their main guy.