The New Orleans Pelicans will be very tight on cap room after extending their “Big Three.” Here are four guys we think fit well as free agents.
The New Orleans Pelicans, like all teams in the NBA, want to add free agents who will contribute but not hamper their financial flexibility.
The New Orleans Pelicans are no stranger to this but with the upcoming extensions of Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball in the near future and Zion Williamson and possibly Jaxson Hayes in a few years, they need to be extra careful about the players they sign in the offseason.
In our recent free agent series we looked at a large group of unrestricted free agents ranging from defensive wings to three-point specialists.
Today we’ll look back at four of our favorites, guys who can help the New Orleans Pelicans take the next step as a franchise without jeopardizing what they have already built.
We’ve covered these players in the past, but as the possible cancellation of the season looms, now is the time to start to refresh our free agent big boards.
Here are four guys we like for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Meyers Leonard PF/C
2019-20 Stats – 6.1 Points, 5.1 Rebounds, 1.1 Assists
Meyers Leonard is a knockdown three-point shooter (42.9%) who would allow the other players on the Pelicans to attack the basket without a big clogging space down in the paint.
At 27-years-old he’s a “young veteran” that fits in excellently with the timeline and personnel of the New Orleans Pelicans.
While his numbers may not seem encouraging, he’s never played starters minutes in the NBA.
In Portland he was stuck behind Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu, and after being traded to Miami last summer, he was put behind All-Star Bam Adebayo.
His Per-36 numbers (10.9 Points, 9.0 Rebounds, 1.9 Assists) do show signs that with more time he’d be a solid contributor.
The level of production Leonard could provide in a starter’s role would allow the Pelicans to let Derrick Favors walk in free agency and prioritize spending cap space on their younger players.
Leonard will probably be seeking a deal that pays him close to his current one; he’s in the last year of a 4 year/$41 million he signed in the summer of 2016.
That might be too rich for the New Orleans Pelicans, but if Leonard ends up dropping in cost, he’d be a solid option as a stretch-five along Zion.
Jae Crowder- SF/PF
2019-20 Stats – 10.4 Points, 6.1 Rebounds, 2.6 Assists
I promise that I’m not just looking at the free agents from the Miami Heat for this list.
Jae Crowder is a 6-foot-6 small forward who can defend bigger players without giving up much.
He could play small or power forward and allow the New Orleans Pelicans to put Ingram on the opponents’ worst wing when they share the court.
Crowder is a streaky three-point shooter (33.6% for his career) but since joining Miami his shot has gone in much more than it did in Memphis.
Before the trade deadline Crowder was shooting a lowly 29.3% from downtown but since joining Miami he’s shot 39.3% and he’s shooting it more often from three in Miami vs. Memphis (6.8 three-point attempts vs 5.9 three-point attempts per game).
When Crowder has space like he does in Miami and like he would in New Orleans, opposing teams would be forced to contest his shot or risk him knocking down the wide open three’s that Zion creates for teammates.
Crowder turns 30 in July and may want to a long-term deal that pays him into his mid-30’s.
His current contract pays him $7.8 million this year and while that may seem like a lot for a streaky shooter like Crowder, the New Orleans Pelicans are currently paying Darius Miller nearly the same amount this season and next.
Crowder is a better all-around player than Miller, so the Pelicans should jump at that price if they can get it.
Langston Galloway SG/PG
2019-20 Stats 10.3 Points,2.3 Rebounds, 1.5 Assists
Bring back the Louisiana native!
Langston Galloway has already spent some time on the New Orleans Pelicans, logging 55 games in the 2016-17 season before being included in the trade that sent Buddy Hield to Sacramento and Boogie Cousins to New Orleans.
A combo-guard who is more of a microwave scorer of the bench at the point in his career, Galloway would bring some much-needed offensive punch to a bench that had the tendency to stagnate when Lonzo and Jrue sat.
Galloway can be the lead playmaker when those two sit or be an off-ball floor spacer when either is on the court. He could run the pick-and-roll with Jaxson Hayes and let opposing defenses decide what they’d rather deal with.
He’s shot 39.9% on his three-pointers this season, if he can keep that up it would create more space for teammates to work with.
Detroit wasn’t able to move Galloway at the trade deadline so his value around the league may not be very high.
This could allow the New Orleans Pelicans to swoop in and offer him the chance to return to his home state and play on a playoff team for the first time in his career.
Serge Ibaka – PF/C
2019-20 Stats – 16.0 Points, 8.3 Rebounds, 1.5 Assists
A major rotation piece for the championship winning Toronto Raptors, Serge Ibaka will be one of the more sought after players once free agency begins.
He’s a reliable power forward who can play center if needed, though Ibaka has become more of a 3-and-D big than the rim-running shot blocker he was when he came into the league.
The 2019-20 season was the last year of a 3 year/$64 million deal he signed in 2017. He’ll likely want another big deal like that as he enters his early 30’s.
New Orleans can offer him something no other team can, a front row seat to Zion, but only if he’s willing to take a cheaper deal in the summer.
He can be the leader of a young, fun, star-studded roster that’s closer to contending than it seems.
The changes Ibaka has made to his game during his career show a willingness to learn and adapt to new systems and schools of thought. A career 36.1% three-point shooter, Ibaka has been even better this season shooting 39.9% from deep on 3.3 attempts.
Ibaka’s fit alongside Zion would be nearly perfect, while his blocks are down from his younger days, he’s still a strong on-ball defender and a smart weakside player who can orchestrate the team when he’s away from the ball.
Offensively he could be asked to be more of a spot-up threat than a post player, but the New Orleans Pelicans showed this year, by playing Zion and Derrick Favors, that the team is comfortable with playing guys who don’t stretch the floor at the same time.
Ibaka can still run some possessions from the post and allow Zion to take less punishment as he continues to grow and learn the NBA.
Ibaka could be the final piece to a New Orleans Pelicans’ championship run, as he checks all of the boxes and would bring veteran toughness that the team currently lacks.
We hope you enjoyed our free agent encore.
Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!