Report: 76ers to strongly consider bringing back Holiday in free agency
The crop of point guards hitting the free-agent market this summer is plentiful to say the least, with current New Orleans Pelicans floor general Jrue Holiday one of the more desirable gets should some of the bigger names elect to stay with their respective squads.
One team interested in making a push for Holiday - ironically enough - is the Philadelphia 76ers, who will reportedly take a "hard look" at bringing him back, sources told ESPN's Zach Lowe.
"The Process" in the City of Brotherly Love began in 2013 when former general manager Sam Hinkie decided to deal his All-Star on draft night to New Orleans in exchange for center Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-rounder. Holiday had just come off a season where he averaged career highs across the board of 17.7 points, eight assists, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals, yet still found himself packing his bags.
Since joining the Pelicans, Holiday's tenure has been memorable for the amount of games he's missed over his ongoing four-year stint, suiting up for just 139 of 246 total games the first three seasons due to injury. He was away from the team for the first 12 games of the 2016-17 campaign to tend to his pregnant and ailing wife.
New Orleans has gone an even 9-9 since Dec. 11 when Holiday returned from a three-game absence because of a toe injury. He's averaged 13.1 points on 39.8 percent shooting, 7.6 dimes, and 3.6 boards in those 18 appearances, playing a huge part in keeping the team in the thick of things for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Philadelphia is currently trotting out a combination of T.J. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez at the point, both of whom don't have the on-court credentials of a player like Holiday. Head coach Brett Brown has said he'll use No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons in that role upon his return, but if management could land a more natural fit to run the offense and have the young Aussie at the wing, it would perhaps be a more ideal lineup for Brown to utilize.