New Orleans Pelicans: 5 Toughest Decisions Before 2021-22
The New Orleans Pelicans are approaching a salary cap conundrum that will force some tough decisions before the 2021-22 season.
The New Orleans Pelicans have the best young core in the NBA and that’s a problem. It’s a problem that most teams wish they had, but it is a problem.
A team can obviously never have too much talent, but the problem comes when you have to pay all of them while staying under the salary cap and out of the luxury tax.
Related Story. 3 players the Pelicans may have to trade this offseason. light
This is especially true for small market teams, whose local TV deals and other revenue streams are not as lucrative as those in the big cities.
New Orleans Pelicans’ owner Gayle Benson has said in the past that she is “100 percent committed” to winning, but most billionaires aren’t willing to throw away their money, even for the chance at a title.
Forbes has the New Orleans Pelicans listed at the 29th most valuable team in the NBA this season, even with Zion Williamson dazzling crowds across the country.
It is unclear if Gayle Benson’s commitment includes going deep into the tax, which is what will have to happen if the New Orleans Pelicans want to hang on to the entirety of their core.
The NBA likes to claim parity when it comes to the fairness of salary cap, but the truth is that there is still a big gap between the league’s “haves” and “have-nots.”
The local TV deals for small market teams are not nearly as big as cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, which means owners potentially have to go deeper into their own pockets when it comes to paying the luxury tax.
You know the old joke about rich people having deep pockets and short arms?
Let’s hope Benson’s arms aren’t too short, as there are max deals coming for Brandon Ingram (2020), Lonzo Ball (2021) and eventually Zion (2023). That’s not to mention Jrue Holiday‘s cap number, which jumps to $27 million in 2021-22.
Knowing that the New Orleans Pelicans are unlikely to go too deep into the tax in pursuit of a title, they will have some tough decisions to make in the next few years.
Here are the five toughest calls they’ll have to make.