5 Jrue Holiday trades that work for everyone
By John Likanje
4. Indiana Pacers
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Victor Oladipo and T.J. McConnell
Indiana Pacers receive: Jrue Holiday
The Indiana Pacers are in an awkward tier in today’s NBA landscape: a middle-of-the-pack team that’ll host one or two playoff series, but isn’t really taken seriously. The primary issue is that they’re not like the Nuggets in which they’re one or two pieces away from being a Finals contender.
Currently, there’s nothing about the Pacers’ roster which makes them better than the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. This is why it’s unfortunate that Victor Oladipo may or may not want to be traded: he’s the one piece on their roster that’s the difference between the Pacers being a fourth-seed and a seventh-seed in the conference.
Either way, it’s safe to assume that Oladipo does indeed want to be traded for these reasons besides the fact that he wants a contract extension. His contract expires after next season and considering he’s one of the top shooting guards in the entire league when healthy, expect him to ask for more than the $21 million he’s currently making.
The Pacers could benefit from moving on from Oladipo and rebuilding the roster around the core of Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and T.J. Warren. They’re just missing a guard who could start alongside Brogdon in the backcourt and Holiday would be a great choice.
This would be a win-win for both teams. Oladipo would make the Pelicans an instant playoff team and mask a lot of the team’s current flaws. Holiday would make the Pacers a serious dark horse in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. Plus, he can reunite with his brothers, Aaron and Justin.