New Orleans Pelicans looking to add veteran at deadline, per Windhorst

On a recent podcast, an ESPN insider claims that in recent conversations with some around the team, it seems the New Orleans Pelicans are looking to add.

The New Orleans Pelicans started this season sloppily, but the team can’t stop getting good news over the last few weeks.

Yesterday on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst admitted that in recent conversations with New Orleans Pelicans personnel, the team is more likely to add than subtract at the deadline.

“My feel on the Pelicans is that they’re looking to acquire another veteran as opposed to selling off a veteran,” said Windhorst.

“If anything the Pelicans have seen what a big difference it made to get Derrick Favors back and they think if they could get another veteran into their rotation that it may even help them more. So again, my sense right now from the New Orleans Pelicans is that they may be buyers.”

Certainly a change in tune from what Pelicans fans heard earlier this season when the Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick trade rumors began to swirl, the team appears to be fully focused on doing whatever it takes to make a push into the playoffs.

The Pelicans are clearly feeling the impact of their own veterans this season.

E’Twaun Moore stepped up as a huge shot-maker on the second team, Favors has been the defensive centerpiece, Redick has helped the Pelicans get buckets in tough spots, and Holiday has been the player we’ve come to love over the past seven years.

On the New Orleans Pelicans Weekly Show, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said, “Our locker room is much noisier at half-time now, there’s a lot more people taking ownership,” Griffin said of the results from Redick’s leadership, as many have noted the veteran scorer is the team’s vocal veteran leader.

“You’d like to have another vocal pillar, like [Redick], who continues to drive things at halftime by way of example.”

While the market is a little tricky this year due to the volume of contracts signed this offseason, in addition to a lot of the potential major trade players not having the draft or player assets, there are still a handful of options available.

If they’re interested in bigger spending, they could slightly overpay for Robert Covington from the Minnesota Timberwolves or Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons, two players who’ve played hefty minutes and provide a bang in their current teams’ rotations.

Making a trade could also help protect the team from the Los Angeles Lakers, who are also certain to be shopping for a similar rotational veteran to help further fuel their title quest.

They could also look to add in free agency, where a handful of veterans, like Jeff Green (who was waived by the Utah Jazz) or Joe Johnson, who could be added as a deep-shooting weapon.

Regardless, this revelation should be exciting for New Orleans Pelicans fans, as the team is clearly showing their interest in being competitive for both the short and long term.

During his time as the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Griffin often pulled together crafty moves to help LeBron James and company trip to four straight NBA Finals appearances.  It’ll be interesting to see if he can pull off more in New Orleans.

We still have a lot to learn about these New Orleans Pelicans, but their willingness to improve the roster this season should signal positive movement for the franchise’s future.