In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews former 76ers guard Jrue Holiday about the abrupt trade that sent him from Philadelphia to New Orleans in 2013. Holiday recounts receiving a brief, 30‑second phone call from then‑General Manager Sam Hinkie while on his way to a Dodgers game, learning he was being traded for Nerlens Noel. He describes the shock of learning his future was decided by a short conversation with a stranger he had never met, and reflects on how that experience epitomizes the business side of the NBA. The conversation expands to discuss the broader emotional impact of trades on players, citing other examples such as Evan Turner’s trade and the overall “process” era under Hinkie, which ultimately failed despite acquiring Joel Embiid. Holiday critiques how modern media and social platforms instantly broadcast trade news, often before players are informed, and argues that the current system—where teams can announce trades while players are left to “pick up the pieces”—feels unfair, even suggesting it should be illegal. Throughout, the tone remains conversational and reflective, blending personal anecdotes with broader commentary on NBA trade culture.
Chapters
What's up everybody? Welcome to the Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you like the post that you love, but you can get everything the Draymond Green Show right on our YouTube channel. So make sure you subscribe, check that out. Thank you. Man, I remember that. We went further than y'all my, our freshman year, but—
You did.
You went on to the league. 17th pick. 17th pick. —after freshman year, drafted by the 76ers in the 2009 NBA draft. You then go on to become the youngest All-Star, at least at the time, I'm not sure if it still stands, but you go on to become the youngest All-Star in 76er history. And then the next year you're traded. I remember talking to Andre Iguodala, you know, Andre, obviously we played many years together.
Yeah.
And he specifically talked about when they traded you, interviewed you to us before. And he was like, I was talking to Drew, like, I can't remember the story vividly, but something, I was talking to Drew, he was on vacation or I was on vacation or something. And like, you out the blue get traded. What do you think about the business at that time? You coming off an All-Star and you get traded the next year for Nerlens Noel.
Man, I didn't know what to think. Like you said, I just became an All-Star. I just signed an extension. And I mean, I thought I was one of the cornerstone pieces or one of the major pieces of 76ers basketball, like Philadelphia basketball. Me, Evan Turner, Thad Young was still there. I think they had already traded Draymond Green, they had already traded Lou Will. But it was like, dang, I was on my way to a Dodger game. I just did a camp.
Okay.
I just did a camp in Orange County at one of my best friend's colleges in Orange County. We're on our way to a Dodger game and I get a call from Sam Hinkie like, "Hey man, we've never met." Because this is when he started taking over that year.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, he's like, "Hey man, I know we've never met, heard great things about you, but we're trading you to New Orleans." But no, it was no way. It was like a 30-second conversation. I had never met him or talked to him before. I think at this point, I didn't even know what bro looked like, so.
Wow.
Yeah, so we was on our way, me, I think my brother, and some of my best friends on the way to the Dodger game. And next thing, I'm like, next thing you know, I get off the phone, I'm like, "Hey, y'all, I just got traded." They're like, "Haha, no you didn't." Like, "All right." 2 seconds later, doo doo doo doo, pops up on the, on the little screen, ESPN, Draymond Green got traded for number 6 pick, Terrence Noel.
That's crazy.
And that's how I found out, bro. Yeah, just like that.
That's the only conversation you've ever had with Saban?
I haven't spoken to him before or after that.
Wow.
That's the only conversation I've had.
He came in and did that. Let's look back at that. All right, so when he starts doing that. But I mean, that was Noel that had Michael Carter-Williams.
Remember Michael Carter-Williams, I think got, —Rookie of the Year.
Yeah, keep going. Keep going, come on, keep going. Tell me somebody else, see if it works.
But I mean, I think I was like, I like to think I was the start of the process.
You are the start of the process. I'm just not sure the process ever worked.
He got fired. It could still be going, yeah, I don't know.
I mean, you get Joel, right? Like, all right, so you got Joel. Everything else outside of that process didn't work.
Yeah, that's tough.
Like Joel is obviously my, but everything else outside of the process failed.
I mean, yeah, yeah. I mean, they traded Evan away after me. I mean, and I called Evan right away 'cause Evan was my dog. Like I got drafted the next year Evan Turner got drafted and he like, there's no way that they just traded you. I'm like, bro, look like we are not, like me and Evan thought we'd be teammates forever. We thought we were the youngest, the two best players on the team. We thought we'd be teammates forever. And just like that, literally 30-second conversation.
That's crazy, man. That's the NBA for y'all folks.
And it ain't any different now. It might even be a little worse now because you have Twitter, you have Instagram, you have these other outlets, media outlets that'll catch it. Before you do. And maybe that hurts a little worse. Like, I've seen a couple teammates come in from a game and find out they get cut.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? Like, I know you've experienced it too, where like you've seen teammates just like, dang, bro, like I had no clue. And they didn't have the balls to tell you face to face, you know what I'm saying? Before anything else got out. I'm talking about like right after you step off the court, right after you just got done playing. To me, that's crazy. To me, it's, yeah, to me, to me, that's crazy.
No, I think it's, it actually should be illegal.
I agree.
Like, because if I came out and said something about a trade before, I get fined.
For sure, 100%.
So why is it that they can announce me being traded and my feelings just gotta be hurt? Right. And I'm left to pick up the pieces of my feelings. I'm left to pick up the pieces of my life. I'm left, like, I'm just left to pick up the pieces. But if I said that first, no problem. Like, I mean, come off the bread.
Yeah. Yeah. I need that.
Like, yeah, it should, it should be illegal.
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