Across the NBA, the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash Sunday paralyzed everyone. Team executives who normally are frequently working the phones nearly two weeks out of the Feb. 6 trade deadline used the early part of this week to process what had happened — as the entire league did.
Now it is less than one week until the deadline. In this trade market, one player has assuredly emerged as the most coveted potential target: New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday.
Among several marquee available players, such as Cleveland’s Kevin Love and Detroit’s Andre Drummond, Holiday is the one under a contract through next season and able to fit a team’s short- and long-term salary structure. He’s the two-way player capable of upgrading a contending team.
Throughout this season, there has been speculation among teams about Holiday eventually wanting a trade out of New Orleans. However, league…
