Report: Interested teams believe Holiday stays with Pels on 5-year deal
The writing is on the wall that Jrue Holiday is likely to stay exactly where he is, and the rest of the league is taking notice.
Rival teams believe the 27-year-old will quickly re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans on a rich five-year contract, league sources told ESPN's Marc Stein.
Holiday will reportedly meet with Pelicans brass once free agency gets underway Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET. A new deal could pay him $170 million over those five years, which is more than he could get anywhere else.
However, if terms cannot be met, the former All-Star will allow himself to take meetings elsewhere and explore his options.
Holiday's bond with the franchise is reportedly strong, though, as the Pelicans were extremely supportive of him and his family during some very dire times. He was absent for the first 12 games of the regular season to take care of his ailing wife, Lauren, who underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor, and had also just given birth.
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The 2016-17 campaign marked his fourth year in The Big Easy. He averaged 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 45.4 percent shooting across 67 appearances for the 34-48 Pelicans.