The New Orleans Pelicans have a rare chance to be the epicenter of basketball for the next decade, but they need to unite LaMelo with brother Lonzo Ball.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to be one of the youngest, most talented and most entertaining teams in the NBA next season regardless of what happens in the draft.
But if they play the 2020 NBA Draft right they could not only walk away with the best player, but set themselves up for the next decade in the process.
The New Orleans Pelicans need to draft LaMelo Ball.
The younger brother of Lonzo Ball is likely to be one of the top picks in a somewhat weak draft and the Pelicans should do whatever they need to (within reason) to ensure that the two are united in New Orleans.
The 2020 NBA draft will be unique in so many ways.
With conference tournaments and March Madness cancelled, teams had little time to scout players and got no chance to see them play under pressure on the big stage.
This is on top of the perception that this is an extremely weak draft, one without a consensus superstar. With so many unknowns, the teams with the top picks may be more inclined to trade down and try to collect an asset in the process.
For most teams, the difference between the top-3 and 13th pick isn’t that extreme and there hasn’t been a draft in recent memory where the talent was spread so evenly in the lottery.
This is a draft where the 15th pick might end up being better than the first, so a team like Detroit, who needs a whole lot more talent, might decide to trade down, collect an asset and still get a lottery pick.
If the New Orleans Pelicans don’t buck the odds and jump into the top-four, they’d likely have to trade up to get LaMelo Ball, but they have the draft capital and young players to do just that.
Whether they get him by luck or through a trade, the New Orleans Pelicans need to unite LaMelo and Lonzo Ball.
Here’s why.
LaMelo Ball fits the New Orleans Pelicans Roster and Timeline
The Pelicans have the rare opportunity to put together a “super” team without signing a free agent, which is rare in the NBA.
They already have Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo and Jrue Holiday, who are all All-Star calibre players with valuable skills.
Adding another All-Star calibre player would give the Pelicans something rarely seen in the NBA, a “Big Five.”
Few modern teams have amassed such an amount of talent.
LaMelo also fits well with what the Pelicans already have and what they require. They need a backup point guard to run the second unit, preferably a pass-first table setter who can get the ball to the Pelicans’ many shooters.
It would also help if he could defend a little and occasionally carry the team offensively when the long-range shots aren’t falling.
LaMelo fits this description perfectly. Like Lonzo Ball, LaMelo is a pass-first point guard. Also like Lonzo, he has problems with his shot, but if he can improve with Fred Vinson as his brother has, the Pelicans would have another dominant playmaker who can occasionally carry the team offensively.
LaMelo’s defense is not close to Lonzo’s at this point, but he has the size and skill set to develop into an elite defender, which would give New Orleans four versatile, plus-defenders on the perimeter in the Balls, Holiday and Josh Hart.
This is big considering that rim protection and points in the paint have been two big weaknesses. Guards are the first line of defense and if the Pels can keep teams out of the lane, it will cover some of their defensive deficiencies down low.
LaMelo also fits the Pelicans timeline perfectly, as Jrue Holiday’s contract will be over just about the time he’d be due for a raise, so the Pelicans can just keep staggering talent, adding one potential All-Star to replace another.
LaMelo fits the team and he fits the timeline, but there are other reasons the Pelicans should draft him.
The Ball Brothers Would Make the New Orleans Pelicans the Epicenter of the NBA
The Pelicans are the NBA’s smallest market, a basketball team in a football city. With the popularity of college football and the Saints, the Pelicans will likely always be a secondary team in the Big Easy.
Adding the intrigue of the Ball brothers to the popularity of Zion Williamson may not make the Pelicans the most popular team in New Orleans, but they would be the epicenter of pretty much every story in the NBA.
They’ll be exciting, fun and brash, darlings of the media and will get more nationally televised games than any team in the NBA, including the Lakers.
This attention might bring some amount of distraction, but Zion, Lonzo and LaMelo have been in the spotlight for most of their lives, so they can handle it.
Distractions aside, this type of attention is all good for New Orleans, as it makes them attractive to potential free agents who would be lining up to join a team full of young stars who are unselfish and genuinely like playing together.
Look at Golden State, who has their choice of veteran free agents each year because everyone wants to play with the Splash Brothers.
The Pelicans would be the most fun, entertaining team in the league and would have their choice of veteran free agents who would take less money for the shot to play with a contender with a generational talent and two of the best passers in the NBA.
Some would say that LaVar would be a distraction and the constant media attention would turn into a circus. Possibly, but LaMelo and Lonzo Ball have been dealing with their dad, seem to know how to tune him out and still love him despite his sometimes misguided opinions.
You don’t turn down the chance at a super team because of a player’s father, these aren’t children.
But the most compelling reason of all to unite the Ball brothers is because it makes smart financial sense.
New Orleans Pelicans: Uniting the Ball Brothers makes financial sense
In a recent interview with GQ, LaMelo Ball talked about the dream of playing with his brother:
"“It’s the NBA so I will play for any team. To play with Lonzo would be real cool. We talked about that growing up so it’ll be a dream come true.”"
LaMelo and Lonzo Ball have repeatedly said that they want to play together eventually and have even hinted that they would take less money to do so.
The New Orleans Pelicans have an upcoming max extension for Brandon Ingram, but Lonzo Ball will be the next signing on the list.
If the Pelicans can draft LaMelo, it would give Lonzo Ball the incentive to take a discount to stay with the Pelicans.
This is a huge deal.
If you can lock up max players for less than max money, you have a huge advantage when trying to keep them all together.
The Pelicans could potentially have two of the most valuable players in the NBA if they could lock up the Ball brothers for less than market value.
This would also be a smart move for the Balls, who would undoubtedly make more money and get more attention if they were on the same team, which would potentially offset any losses they take by accepting a lower contract.
It makes sense for everyone involved. The Pelicans get the rare chance to have five All-Star calibre players on one team for the next few seasons and the Balls get the chance to play together and reap all of the spoils.
There really is no downside in drafting LaMelo to unite with brother Lonzo. It makes sense from just about every angle whether from basketball, to roster fit, to timeline to money.
The New Orleans Pelicans can be a historically good team if they play their cards right, starting with doing what it takes to draft LaMelo Ball.