Should the New Orleans Pelicans let Derrick Favors Walk?

If the New Orleans Pelicans Let Favors Walk

There are certainly some benefits to having a no-nonsense veteran like Favors on the team, but there might be more advantages to letting him walk.

Favors is the best rebounder and rim protector on the New Orleans Pelicans, but only averages 24.2 minutes per game.

Favors often has to be pulled because of foul trouble, or because he can’t match up with the other team’s bigs on the perimeter.

We saw this matchup-dependency against the Dallas Mavericks, who punished the Pelicans by constantly forcing Favors to switch on the perimeter pick-and-roll. Favors did a decent job staying in front of Doncic, but lacks the foot speed and lateral movement to cover the perimeter regularly.

With so many teams featuring sharp shooting bigs, guys who can only guard the paint are starting to become a liability.

Even with Favors the Pelicans aren’t great defensively, so they might become more dynamic and contemporary if they let him walk. But where will Favors replacement come from?

The Internal Option

If the New Orleans Pelicans do decide to allow Favors to walk in free agency, then they may have his replacement already on the team.

Jaxson Hayes is just 19, but has already flashed the type of elite athleticism and rim protection that could make him a force for the Pelicans at center.

Hayes is a human highlight reel, but he is still filling out and is averaging just 17 minutes per game for the season. Hayes may not yet have the strength or endurance to body NBA bigs, and he doesn’t do much better than Favors when asked to guard the perimeter.

Hayes is averaging 7.5 points, four rebounds and nearly a block per game in limited action, but he may still be a few years away from playing big minutes for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Like Favors, Hayes cannot stretch the floor, so he might not be an upgrade if the Pelicans are looking for a big who can shoot.

Options in Free Agency

There are several intriguing options in free agency if the New Orleans Pelicans decide to look outside their own organization for help at center.

The top centers in free agency are probably out of the Pelicans’ price range, as they have to save money for Ingram’s free agency, re-signing Lonzo Ball and eventually inking Zion to what may be the biggest contract of all time.

There are a couple of guys who might not make as much and would replace Favor’s production.

If Tristan Thompson is willing to take far less money, then the 29-year-old unrestricted free agent would make some sense for the New Orleans Pelicans, as he is basically just a better version of Favors.

With such a weak free agent class, Thompson may find a number of suitors, which could price him out of the Pelicans’ range.

Same goes for Aron Baynes, who has probably played himself into a bigger contract than the $5.3 million he is currently making for Phoenix. Baynes has turned himself into an efficient shooter and would allow the Pelicans to stretch the floor and give Zion room to operate.

If the Pelicans wanted to go cheap, they could probably take a flyer on a player like Nerlens Noel, who offers next to nothing offensively but would replace Favor’s rim protection and rebounding.

The Pelicans could choose to forget about center and play more small ball with Zion at the five. This would allow them to use their free agency money on a player like Danilo Gallinari, whose shooting would definitely stretch the floor and who would be tough to stop in a pick-and-roll with Ball.

The New Orleans Pelicans have no shortage of options no matter which route they choose. Favors has been a solid veteran and gives the Pelicans things that no one else on the team currently does, but his style of play and lack of shooting may ultimately render him irrelevant in today’s game.

It will be an interesting offseason for the Pelicans and their decision with Favors will be a big part of it.