New Orleans Pelicans: What would it take to get Bradley Beal? Is he worth it?

The New Orleans Pelicans should trade for Bradley Beal

Though there are plenty of reasons not to do it, there is also a compelling case to be made for going after Beal.

Age

If the Pelicans could essentially trade Jrue Holiday for Bradley Beal, they’d be getting a younger, better player and only giving up a few draft picks that they may never use anyway.

Beal is a dynamic scorer, one of the best in the league and he is only 26-years-old. His timeline works better with the Pelicans than does Holiday’s and the Pels would be getting Beal’s prime years, as he is not a free agent until he is 30-years-old.

Even if the Pels were to trade Ball (HIGHLY UNLIKELY PLEASE DON’T TWEET ME) who is just 22, they’d still have a nice mixture of veterans, younger veterans and youth.

Beal fits better with the Pelicans’ overall timeline than does Jrue Holiday.

Offensive Juggernaut

Regardless of whether Holiday or Ball went in the deal, the Pelicans would have one of the best offensive teams in the NBA if not the best.

They are already 4th in scoring, so adding Beal could potentially make the Pelicans an offensive juggernaut, a team that could average 120 a game. Beal isn’t as good as Holiday defensively, but he’s not terrible, so his offense would more than make up for any defensive downgrade.

A lineup of Ball, Beal, Ingram, Zion and Just about any center would be tough to stop and could kill you in a million different ways.

The NBA is a scoring league, this isn’t the 1990’s, so the smart move is to build the best possible offense and just outscore everyone.

Zion’s Knees Say Go For it

Zion Williamson is the X-factor here. He is a generational talent, a potential superstar and the New Orleans Pelicans may never get another chance like this again.

They are a small market team, which means there is no guarantee that Zion will stay past his rookie deal. There is also no guarantee that he’ll be healthy, as he already has knee issues and is carrying around 285 lbs.

The window to win a title with Zion might be closing already, which means the Pelicans should do everything in their power to win now. Things can change quickly in the NBA and if you don’t go for it when you have the chance, you might not get another.

Ask the OKC Thunder, who once had three MVPs at one time but were never able to win a title before they all left or were traded.

Zion won’t be in the Big Easy forever, so there is no reason to wait around to try and win a title.

The Bradley Beal rumors will likely continue as long as the Wizards stink and there are teams out there with cap space or assets.

Whether the Pelicans should be the team to trade for him is a tough call. Beal would give them a chance to win now, but might cost them more than that chance is worth.