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April 23, 2015: New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during game 3 of the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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April 23, 2015: New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during game 3 of the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jrue Holiday getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks was the blockbuster trade of this offseason. The Bucks sent a whole host of picks to the Pelicans to acquire Holiday.
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They lost talented guards like Eric Bledsoe and George Hill. The team has released a statement through Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin thanking Jrue.
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David Griffin on Jrue Holiday: pic.twitter.com/dhF9xN1sp8
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) November 24, 2020
“Jrue Holiday’s contributions to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, both on and off the floor, serve as shining examples to everyone in our Pelicans family.
“They are a statement of what we want to represent and, frankly, what we have to live up to moving forward. He and his wife Lauren have worked tirelessly to affect the quality of life of those around them and we are honored to have been a part of their journey. “
The statement further thanked other players that were traded away. “We are also thankful for the positive impact that Darius, Kenrich, Josh, and Zylan have had on our organization and we wish them nothing but success in their future efforts.”
Jrue Holiday Trade: Will he catapult the Bucks to the championship?
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CHICAGO, USA – NOVEMBER 4: Jrue Holiday (11) of New Orleans Pelicans in action during an NBA Game between Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center in Chicago, IL, United States on November 4, 2017. (Photo by Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Jrue Holiday was essentially bait to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo around. The Greek Freak is a free agent next season and is yet to extend with the Bucks. With reports of him keeping his options open, Milwaukee went into a state of panic.
However, the Holiday trade is a great move. Jrue is often considered one of the toughest one-on-one defenders in the league. Multiple top-tier players have come out and said it. He makes one of the best defensive teams in the league even stronger and also adds a reliable three-point shot.
If the Bucks are looking to contend, there isn’t a player better than Holiday. He hasn’t enjoyed a lot of playoff experience but has the skill-set that every championship contender desperately needs.
The Bucks have lost depth and a lot of picks, but Holiday may be worth all of it. That is, if Giannis stays. Whether that happens is still yet to be seen, but the front-office must be praying that this move goes a long way in ensuring it.
