The New Orleans Pelicans may have just gotten a useful little boost in the Jrue Holiday reunion conversation.
According to Jake Fischer on a Bleacher Report live stream, Portland intends to keep Holiday and will not buy him out heading into the 2026-27 season. That matters because Holiday has long looked like the kind of veteran New Orleans could circle back to if the season pushes them into buy mode.
Holiday is 36, and the immediate expectation is that he wants to finish his career in Portland and avoid another family move. But the league has a way of changing direction fast. If the Trail Blazers stumble or the Pelicans are hovering near .500 by the trade deadline, Jordan Poole’s $34-plus million contract could become a useful piece in a deal for a win-now veteran who fits cleaner.
That’s where Holiday makes so much sense.
New Orleans’ biggest need is obvious: a guard who can get stops at the point of attack and also connect the offense. Herb Jones is the only player on the roster who really checks that box right now, and Holiday has built his reputation on exactly that blend of toughness and two-way value.
Even in what should be the late stretch of his career, he was still productive last season. In 53 games, Holiday put up 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game while hitting 37.8 percent from three.
You can picture the fit pretty quickly. Put that kind of production next to Dejounte Murray in the backcourt, with Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson on the wings and Yves Missi at center, and the Pelicans would have a serious starting group. It would also still leave Herb Jones, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen coming off the bench.
The idea of Holiday returning to New Orleans has been floating around all offseason. He spent seven years with the franchise, and while that possibility may not be alive right this second, it’s not gone. Once the season starts and teams stop worrying so much about roster squeezes, the trade market opens back up.
That’s the real takeaway here: Holiday was trending toward a buyout path that would have sent him straight to a contender like the 76ers. Instead, Portland is holding firm. For New Orleans, that keeps a familiar and very real option on the table if the season points them in that direction.
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The other major swing factor is the new look around him. Bennedict Mathurin, the clubs main offseason addition, is expected to help fill the scoring gaps, while a new coaching staff arrives with a defensive reputation shaped by its work turning around the Orlando Magic. For a team trying to climb back into the picture, the season may end up being defined by whether those pieces lift the roster together. [Read more 🡒]