Miami Has One Decision to Make to Acquire Jrue Holiday

Pat Riley seemed pretty adamant in Friday’s presser about finding the “next thing,” and going “Whale hunting.”

He is not afraid to pull the trigger on a possible deal that makes them better immediately.

It’s clear though that Jrue Holiday changes this whole team upon arrival, since he’s one of the best defensive guards in this league, and has a solid offensive game.

When people around the league begin to talk about Jrue Holiday, they usually start by talking about his motor.

Sound familiar?

Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler are two guys that play hard on both sides of the ball as well, and are known for their motor and toughness. Jimmy has talked very highly of Jrue in the past as well, as shown here…

Imagine Jimmy Butler & Jrue Holiday in the same backcourt pic.twitter.com/mbCKLxN7iL

— Fanly (@fanly) October 15, 2020

It’s pretty obvious that Jrue Holiday fits this organization and team perfectly, but what is the one decision Miami will have to make?

The baseline trade that has been discussed has involved Kendrick Nunn and the 20th pick as the main assets, but I see New Orleans wanting another player instead.

Duncan Robinson.

Obviously everybody knows that if there’s anybody that can pull off a deal without giving up a guy like Duncan, it would be the Miami Heat front office.

But I just don’t see them giving Jrue up unless they get Duncan in return. He fits their team perfectly right now, since his gravity on offense from beyond the arc can open up the floor for Zion Williamson.

His movement without the ball is much like that of JJ Reddick, but obviously you’re going much younger and cheaper.

Now, I definitely believe it’s something that Miami thinks about. I’ve been a strong proponent of keeping the core, but if you are giving up Duncan Robinson for Jrue Holiday, that’s hard to pass up.

A big three of Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, and Bam Adebayo would be a scary sight on the defensive end, since they can basically switch everything. And you still have your 20 year old offensive talent in Tyler Herro.

That’s a team that can win a title right now, and then go after a “whale” in 2021 free agency.

Once again though, it’s hard to see Miami giving up Duncan Robinson like that, especially since they have a bunch of assets right now. I also believe it comes down to how much they value KZ Okpala. If they value KZ more than they value Duncan going forward, I think they do it.

But if they’d rather go forward with Duncan instead of developing KZ, then I believe they can make something work without Duncan.

Also, check out an episode of Five on the Floor where they discuss Jrue Holiday.