Nets: Insane trade rumor linking BKN to Jrue Holiday

The Nets are reportedly interested in trading for Pelicans PG Jrue Holiday.

Following the conclusion of the Brooklyn Nets’ bubble journey, fans probably knew to brace for a chaotic offseason. Not only did a coaching search, which has since ended in abrupt fashion, need to be conducted, but there was also a ton of discussion regarding their potential interest in bolstering the roster.

Thus far, the most high-profile names to be linked to Brooklyn via trade have been Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine, both of whom are coming off seasons in which they averaged over 25 points per games on losing team. No matter how highly you rate Caris LeVert, you can’t deny that those two stars would serve as a valuable scoring/playmaking outlet.

At the very least, Nets Nation could get on board with why general manager Sean Marks is reported to be interested in Beal and LaVine. Our guess is that the fanbase will have trouble developing the same feelings for this latest rumor.

According to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Heavy.com, the Nets could be interested in trading for  Jrue Holiday, and have reportedly sent in an offer to New Orleans. That package apparently includes the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, Dzanan Musa and a protected first-round draft pick.

We’ll pass on that one.

The bizarreness of this rumor is duly noted, as forfeiting bench depth — Dinwiddie and Allen are clearly Brooklyn’s two best bench players, assuming DeAndre Jordan starts at center — for an elite perimeter defender makes zero sense.

However, the timing isn’t entirely surprising, as Kevin Durant recently had some strong words for the former All-Star during an appearance on JJ Reddick’s podcast. Is it possible that the Nets star is keen on playing alongside the Pelicans stalwart? The following quote proves that Durant is at least extremely fond of Holiday’s craft.

"“You put Jrue in any system, any coach is going to ask him to guard the best player,” said Durant. “We played them in 2018, second round and he guarded me the whole series. He was picking me up full court, he was guarding me in the post. Actually, it was tough to dribble on Jrue Holiday. He slides his feet so well, he’s got good hands, he’s strong, he’s got good instincts. I gained a lot of respect for him in that series because he went from guarding me to Klay (Thompson) to Steph (Curry) to guarding Draymond (Green), neutralizing picks and rolls. He’s special. He’s special on that side of the ball.”"

We’re not saying that Durant is lobbying for the Nets to trade for Holiday, but the timing of his praise for the 11-year veteran coupled with this rumor shouldn’t be ignored. It’s widely understood that Marks and the rest of Brooklyn’s front office value Durant’s (and Kyrie Irving’s) opinion in terms of coaching and roster construction, so it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Again, we don’t agree with the reported terms of this deal in the slightest, so let’s hope this is nothing more than a flimsy rumor that will ultimately flame out. If one of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski or The Athletic’s Shams Charania follows up with their own confirmation, however, then Nets fans have our permission to panic.