Report: Jrue Holiday, Pelicans agree to five-year, $126 million max contract

Jrue Holiday is staying put.

[video:Jrue Holiday, Pelicans agree to five-year, $126 million max contractJrue Holiday will stay put in New Orleans after agreeing to a five-year, $126 million max deal with the Pelicans, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Holiday’s deal has incentives that can make it total $150 million and contains a fifth-year player option. The two sides met as free agency began and came to terms. The Pelicans had long made re-signing Holiday their priority in free agency.

Wojnarowski reports that Holiday, 27, felt a connection with the franchise particularly following his wife’s brain surgery and pregnancy last year. The Pelicans acquired him from the 76ers via trade four years ago. 

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Holiday averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists last season and will pair with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to form the Pelicans‘ core. New Orleans has incentive to turn things around quickly, with Cousins set to be a free agent a year from now.

The deal leaves Kyle Lowry and George Hill as the top remaining point guards on the market.