On July 12, 2013, Holiday was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and the Pelicans' 2014 first-round draft pick. His 2013–14 season ended prematurely after season-ending surgery in February 2014 for a stress fracture in his right tibia. He had not played since January 8 because of the shin injury. In 34 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.