NBA Trade Rumors - New Orleans Pelicans could part with backcourt for Josh Richardson, Al Horford & picks
The New Orleans Pelicans are in a pretty good situation right now considering the fact that they lost arguably their greatest ever player Anthony Davis to the LA Lakers last off-season.
In youngster Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans have a generational talent who has the potential to be an NBA legend. All-Star Brandon Ingram and floor general Lonzo Ball have also shown a lot of promise. NBA trade rumors seem to suggest that New Orleans Pelicans may be willing to part with their older players to acquire assets that could help them build a better team for the future.
The New Orleans Pelicans surprised a lot of people in the first half of the 2019-20 NBA season when they managed to remain in the running for a spot in the playoffs despite being unable to field the injured Zion Williamson. They ultimately fell short of their objective and missed the post-season, but the New Orleans Pelicans youngsters showed that they were more than ready to go toe-to-toe with some of the league's finest teams and players.
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NBA Trade Rumors - New Orleans Pelicans determined to ship Jrue Holiday away?
Many around the NBA believe that the New Orleans Pelicans will definitely part with their former All-Star guard Jrue Holiday.
Holiday is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and has also been in good touch on the offensive end of late, averaging 21.2 and 19.1 points per game in the last two seasons respectively. He is also a very skilled playmaker, with a career average of 6.4 assists per game. In a nutshell, guards do not come as complete as Jrue Holiday.
Holiday's New Orleans Pelicans teammate and the sixth man of the team - JJ Redick - also had a stellar season. Even at the age of 36, JJ Redick is one of the hottest shooters in the NBA. The 6'3" guard out of Virginia shot an incredible 45.3% from downtown last season, making six attempts a game.
However, with both players in their 30s and their contracts running out (Holiday's runs out in 2022 and Redick's in 2021), it would be in the best interest of the New Orleans Pelicans to find trades involving the pair.
Josh Richardson & Al Horford career statistics
Career points per game - 12.4 & 13.9
Career assists per game - 2.9 & 3.3
Career rebounds per game - 3.2 & 8.3
Career field goal % - 42.6% & 52.0%
Career 3pt % - 36.3% & 36.4%.
The Philadelphia 76ers are in an awkward position as they are seemingly unable to decide whether to continue mounting a title challenge or to start afresh. On paper, they have a seriously talented squad with two superstars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. However, on the court, that hasn't worked out as well as they would hoped. Yet, if they do decide not to give up just yet, improvements are required over the off-season.
The 76ers have been rumored to have their eyes set on two of their former players - Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick. JJ Redick was a great fit with the 76ers before the New Orleans Pelicans snagged him away at the end of last season. With his ability to knock down threes at a high rate, Redick will be a perfect addition to the 76ers team. Jrue Holiday, too, could be a great supplier in Ben Simmons' absence and also defend the opposition's best guard.
The New Orleans Pelicans would have to consider about Al Horford's salary requirements to make a deal happen. Having said that, the 34-year-old is still a fantastic player who would fit a lot better in the New Orleans Pelicans squad. As it is, their starting center Derrick Favors is out of contract, so Horford would be a solid replacement.
Two-way guard Josh Richardson could also be a part of the deal. The 6'5" former Miami Heat player can be a dangerous scorer when he heats up and should do well with the New Orleans Pelicans youngsters. He himself is still only 27.
NBA Trade Rumors - What else do the New Orleans Pelicans acquire from this swap deal?
The salaries of both pairs of players cancel out the other perfectly, so all that would be required for this trade to go through are a couple of picks from the Philadelphia 76ers. There is no question that New Orleans Pelicans are getting the better duo and will have to compensate the same with future draft picks.
The Philadelphia 76ers will feel much better about their chances of making some serious noise in the playoffs with Holiday and Redick while the New Orleans Pelicans will get two solid NBA players along with draft picks that they may choose to trade for an ever bigger asset.
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