In our latest free agent profiles, we look at two veterans who could be instrumental in helping the young New Orleans Pelicans win a title.
If you missed this week’s free agent profiles, we took a look at two shooting guards and a couple of wing projects that might fit on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Every championship team has a veteran or two who joined the team as a free agent and ended up being very important.
With little cap space to use, the New Orleans Pelicans will need to identify veteran players who can produce and might come on cheap contracts.
This is a tough proposition, as most players look to get paid the maximum amount they can, with few willing to take a pay cut just to join a good team.
Things will get even tougher this offseason, as the hiatus and possible cancellation of the season will give teams even less time to evaluate potential free agents and draft picks.
There is also no telling what will happen with the salary cap, as the NBA is certain to lose a hefty amount of revenue due to the suspension of play, even if the season resumes at some point.
This might make teams like the New Orleans Pelicans look harder at known commodities, veterans who are in the twilight of their careers but still able to contribute.
With so much up in the air, it is almost impossible to guess what the New Orleans Pelicans will do when and if the NBA resumes its normal operations.
Here are a loose set of guidelines that we’ll be following for our free agent series:
- Unrestricted free agents only. There are too many moving parts to know how any of this will play out, but restricted free agency is always tricky.
- I’ll try to choose one free agent from the “premium” crop and one from a lower tier. This won’t always be the case, but we’ll try to mix it up.
- Money is not an object at this point. The New Orleans Pelicans will likely be capped out if they extend Brandon Ingram and don’t make a trade, but for these purposes, money will be more of an abstract concept.
The New Orleans Pelicans won’t have much money to spend if they extend Ingram, so they would probably have to make a trade to snag one of these two free agent veterans.
It might take some convincing to keep them from retirement or simply staying with their current teams on lesser contracts.
But these two wily veterans could be both mentors and contributors for the New Orleans Pelicans if they can find a way to get it done.
Strengths: Playmaking, ball handling, 3-point shooting, veteran leadership
Weaknesses: Possible salary, on-the-ball defense
Key Statistics: Age 33, averages 16.1 points, 5.1 assists in 28.4 minutes per game
How he fits with the Pelicans:
Prying Goran Dragic away from the Heat will probably be a tall task, especially if he is asked to be backup to Lonzo Ball.
Dragic has quietly had a stellar career for Miami and is one of the big reasons they are a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Even at age 33, Dragic is still getting it done, running the break and the pick-and-roll and shooting near a career-best from long-range
Dragic is one of those crafty veterans who uses his high basketball I.Q. to make up for a step lost to age.
He’d be the perfect mentor to Lonzo, who also doesn’t possess blazing speed, but uses plus ballhandling and elite passing to get teammates open looks.
Dragic would also be a huge upgrade at backup point guard, as the New Orleans Pelicans currently have just Frank Jackson in reserves and it’s possible another team will steal him as an unrestricted free agent.
The Pelicans have plenty of young players and need a few veterans like Dragic who have been through wars and have playoff experience.
Dragic made nearly $20 million last year, but is unlikely to get another huge deal.
If he felt that his best chance for minutes and a title was with the New Orleans Pelicans, they might be able to convince him to join the team on a friendly deal.
Dragic is one of those veterans who is instrumental to a championship run and could help get the young Pelicans there ahead of schedule.
Strengths: Shooting, stretching the floor
Weaknesses: Age, injuries, potential salary, speed
Key Statistics: Shooting 42% from 3-point range in last two season
How he fits with the Pelicans:
If the New Orleans Pelicans could do it again, they might have just drafted Marc Gasol in 2007.
Then again, there are a lot of teams that would like to do that draft again.
Gasol went 48th overall that year, but ended up evolving into the modern stretch-five that most teams now covet.
Gasol has certainly lost a step at age 35, especially defensively, but he is exactly the type of center the New Orleans Pelicans need, as he can draw defenders away from the hoop and clear the lane for Zion Williamson.
Gasol isn’t the defender he once was, but still has the smarts to be part of a solid team defense, as he is in Toronto.
He is also the exact type of veteran leader the New Orleans Pelicans need.
Ask the Raptors, who got Gasol out of Memphis via trade and rode his versatility to a title.
He could do the same for the young Pelicans, as he not only fits as a veteran leader, but also from a basketball perspective.
No, he cannot run the floor like he used to, but he has become adept at trailing behind the break and pulling up for 3-pointers, which he hits at over 40 percent.
There aren’t many bigs in the NBA who can shoot like Gasol and he’d be a nice complement next to Zion or with the second unit.
There is a chance Gasol will simply retire or take a much smaller deal to remain in Toronto, but if the New Orleans Pelicans can convince him to lace them up for one more run, he might be a good fit.
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