New Orleans Pelicans: 2 players With the Most to Prove at NBA Disney

The New Orleans Pelicans want to prove they belong in the playoffs, but there are two guys who personally have a lot at stake as well.

The New Orleans Pelicans will head to Orlando hoping to earn a playoff spot and take the first step towards a championship.

But they will also be keeping an eye on potential free agents and trying to determine how they might fit on the Pelicans’ roster in the future.

This includes their own free agents, as the Pelicans have a number of players in the final year of their contracts who may or may not be a part of the team’s future.

Derrick Favors, E’Twaun Moore, Brandon Ingram,  Jahlil Okafor, Frank Jackson and Kenrich Williams will all hit free agency this summer, so this will be the Pelicans’ final chance to figure out which of these guys to keep and which to let walk.

How they handle this upcoming free agency will have a drastic effect on the team moving forward, as the Pelicans already have Jrue Holiday making $27 million a year and still have Ingram to extend, with Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson not far behind.

The Pelicans will have to find some low-cost talent to put around their stars, a way to fill out their bench with guys who can actually play.

Some of these will come from the draft, and the Pelicans certainly have plenty of draft capital to convey or use in a trade as a way to inject youth and talent into their roster.

But they also need some veterans, guys who have experience and can lead the youngsters. It’s going to be a tricky balancing act and may come down to how much they pay or don’t pay their own free agents.

Here are two guys who have a lot to prove as they hit free agency.