The New Orleans Pelicans have a multitude of questions to answer in the free agency period, and the Pelican Debrief staff took a crack at answering a handful of them.
1.The NBA Free Agency bonanza is here! Who do YOU hope the Pelicans target first?
Rory Callais (@Rory_Callais): I imagine I’m not special in what name is at the top of my list: Kent Bazemore. He checks virtually every box for the Pelicans, and I feel he became an actual possibility with Danny Ferry’s arrival. However, I’m already balking at Bazemore’s price tag, so I’d like to go for Allen Crabbe (unless he also asks too much) and friend of the blog Jared Dudley. Drafting Buddy Hield means we don’t need a high-usage small forward. Depending on his health, we could even be looking for Quincy Pondexter’s backup.
Also, even though we have a lot of money tied up in the front court, I think Dell Demps should explore some big man options out there. Omer Asik is likely not the long-term answer, but trading him is not feasible. That said, I’m at a loss for who that big man could be.
Preston Ellis (@PelicanBriefNBA): I would really like to see Pels target swingman Allen Crabbe. In limited minutes against the Warriors he shot 42 percent from three, he can play and guard multiple positions including the four, is a knockdown shooter, moves away from the ball and doesn’t need it in his hands to be successful. on top of being a lockdown defender. He rebounds the ball at an impressive rate for his size, 6’6, and has the wingspan to frustrate any perimeter player, 6’11.
Crabbe is 24 years old, and played 81 games last season. He’s reliable and stuck behind a gluttony of good, young starters in Portland, and may never have the chance to earn his own place. He can start tomorrow in NOLA, and would fit perfectly in Gentry’s uptempo system at the two or three, allowing either Buddy or Q-Pon to come off the bench.
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Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14): First? I guess I’d have to hope that the Pelicans would pressure the restricted free agency market to force other teams’ hands early on in July. While their in-between team building status doesn’t quite land them among the championship contenders or the young up-and-comers, they’d do well to be aggressive early and dictate the market for the players they want. The guy I see as target number one is swingman Evan Fournier, who could credibly start in front of Buddy Hield as he develops and get better himself as the core around him evolves. I’m all for Tyreke Evans staying on the team this year, but if Buddy shows flashes of production, Fournier would provide a better fit for New Orleans moving forward. His status as a restricted free agent means the Orlando Magic would have matching rights on any offer sheet, but with their acquisition of Serge Ibaka and desire to improve the roster elsewhere, there’s a small chance they could balk at a near-max deal.
Rick Stone (@RickStoneNBA): Who do I hope they target is a much trickier question than who I hope they DON’T target. In all honesty, the hope is that they don’t use this summer to give out massive contracts and attempt to fill the holes in the teams depth. Though it’s time to throw out a familiar name that many New Orleans fans may remember. Jason Smith.
Why Jason Smith? With Ryan Anderson more than likely leaving, the backup power forward slot is open. It’s a spot that needs to be filled by a solid role guy, not a big-contract player. Jason Smith filled that slow when AD was drafted. Bringing a solid guy who is known for his great work-ethic would be a solid decision. Especially with the hole Rhino leaves in “best locker room guy”.
Next: Bringing them back