Trade Options for New Orleans Pelicans Offseason: Part One
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Why not get the ol’ Kentucky gang back together!?
The Charlotte Hornets sit 11th in the East, with a record of 28-35. They have a payroll of ten players in 2017 set at $109 million, according to Spotrac. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is currently one year into a four year, $52 million dollar contract.
After the head scratching trade for Miles Plumlee, the Hornets are in long term trouble of fading into permanent mediocrity (if you call the 11th seed mediocre). They will have to strongly consider cutting some salary this offseason.
The likeliest candidate is Jeremy Lamb. The UConn product has found himself out of favor in Charlotte and has but two years and $14.5 million remaining on his contract.
The restart button could involve Nicolas Batum, who generously accepted a five year, $120 million discount this past offseason from the a city and team he truly enjoys (NBPA). Batum is having a down year by some standards, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes per game.
However, it may be more likely Kidd-Gilchrist is the one to find the chopping block first. He is averaging a minimal nine points and eight rebounds, with just one assist per game. He attempts fewer than one-tenths of a three pointer per game (for good reason) and does nothing to space the floor.
In many ways, it seems as if we’re adding another Solomon Hill…
However, the numbers are misleading and Gilchrist is much more efficient than advertised. Gilchrist averages better than 52 percent on his shots inside of 10 feet, while shooting 60 percent of his shots taking place at that distance (NBA.com).
If Gilchrist can be the shut down defender the New Orleans Pelicans need and contribute a double-double on a nightly basis (which he almost is), he may be worth the gamble.
The Pelicans would need to get creative with this trade, as they’d most likely have to package Quincy Pondexter‘s expiring, with Alexis Ajinca or E’Twaun Moore. Including Ajinca, Solomon Hill or Omer Asik in the trade would likely cost the Pels’ their 2018 first round pick as well.