The New Orleans Pelicans are one of many teams that will be looking for creative ways to fill out their roster if the salary cap goes down.
With important max extensions on the horizon, the New Orleans Pelicans will have to be efficient with their cap space if they want to have a deep roster.
Obviously some of this talent will come from the draft, as the Pelicans have a chest of picks that they can use to plug holes or take risks on high upside talent.
But they also need low-cost veterans who can play, as few NBA rookies come league-ready and the Pels stars are young themselves.
David Griffin and the Pelicans will have to get creative, find hidden gems or take flyers on low-risk projects that could pay dividends.
One such project could be Jordan Bell, the 25-year-old center/power forward who most recently played for the Memphis Grizzlies before being waived in early March.
Bell is currently signed with the Capital City Go-Go of the G-League but undoubtedly wants to prove he can still play in the NBA.
Bell had a promising start to his career with the Golden State Warriors, playing in 57 games with 13 starts and it looked as though he could have a future in the NBA as a role player on a good team.
Bell averaged a block in 14.2 minutes per game in his rookie season, defended multiple positions and looked like the type of defensive wing that has a lot of value in the modern NBA.
But he saw his role diminished in Golden State and has since bounced around the league without finding a way to carve out a role for himself.
Bell has a coupe of of traits the New Orleans Pelicans are looking for, but also has some glaring weaknesses that he’d have to improve to re-establish himself in the NBA.