NBA Trade Rumors: Heat, Nuggets Want Jrue Holiday But Steep Price May Alter Course

The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets seem like a player away from being better. And one person who could resolve that is Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the Heat, Nuggets and any other team that wants the 29-year-old guard need to cough up a lot of money. The Pels are not about to relax their asking price.

According to The Athletic, the Heat and the Nuggets are Holiday's top suitors. Looking at his averages, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 20.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Though he has been playing shooting guard as of late, Holiday has proven to be a reliable point guard as well. That in mind, it comes to no surprise that New Orleans knows that they can receive a major haul for teams desperately seeking the 17th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft.

The good news for interested NBA teams is that Holiday could be dealt at some point. The only question now is whether that will happen by Feb. 6. The reality is New Orleans will reach the point where they will have an overloaded backcourt. They have Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart among others.

The key point there is the age factor. Holiday is already 29-years-old and the Pelicans are undoubtedly investing in youth. Unless some of the young Pelicans guards turn out to be a bust, Holiday will remain an indispensable piece of the organization.

At this point in the NBA season, the Pelicans are 20-29. Mathematically, they can still make the playoffs although they may not go deep. The Nuggets are running second with a 34-15 card in the Western Conference. Adding Holiday gives them a second certified All-Star player, raising their chances in the coming postseason wars.

For the Heat, their surge this season has been impressive as it is. But team president Pat Riley has been known to keep on getting players he sees fit to complement their current cast. Miami has already been linked to Holiday in the past. In fact, in a previous report, it was suggested that the reinstatement of Dion Waiters could be part of the Holiday plan.