Report: Holiday to meet with Pelicans right at start of free agency

The New Orleans Pelicans will have a leg up on the competition when it comes to bringing back Jrue Holiday.

The 27-year-old will meet with Pelicans officials right at the start of free agency at 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday, league sources told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Should the two sides fail to come to an agreement, Holiday will reportedly take meetings with other teams within the following 48 hours.

New Orleans is in a position to offer him a max contract worth approximately $170 million over five years, with head coach Alvin Gentry on the record saying how re-signing Holiday is the "No. 1 priority" this summer. They are strapped for cash, though, with such large deals already on the books, so it remains to be seen whether management would be willing to go that high.

Holiday missed the first 12 games of the 2016-17 regular season to tend to his ailing wife, who not only gave birth to their newborn child, but was also recovering from brain surgery to remove a tumor. The Pelicans' support system during that time could play a part in his final decision.

If he does in fact choose to leave, teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers have all reportedly expressed interest in acquiring his services.

Holiday averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists on 45.4 percent shooting across 67 appearances in 32.7 minutes per game, with New Orleans having allowed 4.8 more points per 100 possessions when he wasn't on the floor.