New Orleans Pelicans: Pros and Cons of Trading for the No. 1 Pick in the 2020 NBA Draft
Pro of the New Orleans Pelicans trading for 1st Pick: The Super Team
“Super” teams have been all the rage in the NBA since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat.
Since then, every franchise has been looking for a “Big Three,” a trio of All-Star calibre players to build a championship team around.
Most of the time this happens through free agency, when a big named free agent decides to join an already successful team, like Kevin Durant did in Golden State.
The other way to build a super team is through the draft. Philly has had mixed results with “The Process,” while teams like Phoenix seem to be perpetually failing to get a “Big 3,” striking out in draft after draft.
Golden State is really the model, as they were able to build one of the best teams in NBA history largely through the draft. People forget that the Warriors were a 73-win “super” team before they added Durant and that they built the team through the draft.
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The Pelicans have a chance to be the next Golden State. They already have a “Big 3” in Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. They have an All-Star calibre veteran in Jrue Holiday and a bunch of good role players.
But having the number one pick would give them the chance to add a 5th All-Star talent on this team without breaking the bank in free agency.
With the number one pick, the Pelicans could choose exactly who they want, the guy who best complements the talented core they already have.
With all of their players due for raises in different years, the Pelicans could potentially stagger contracts so that they always have at least three All-Star talents under contract at the same time. This would allow them to play their own version of “Money Ball,” possibly trading away players as they got too expensive and replacing them with younger, more cost-effective talent.
The number one pick in the draft, even this draft, is a way to add cheap, cost controlled talent that the Pelicans can build around while not sacrificing any of their prized core.