New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Reasons to Trade Out of the 2020 NBA Draft

With a potentially low pick in a weak draft, the New Orleans Pelicans should consider their options.

The New Orleans Pelicans hit the jackpot last year in so many ways. Not only did they buck the odds and get the number one pick, but they did it in a year with a consensus star in Zion Williamson.

Things look a lot different this year, though the Pelicans will enter tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery with around the same chances as last year.

It will take a small miracle for the Pelicans to repeat and get the number one pick, and even the odds of jumping into the top-four are pretty small at just 5.7 percent.

So it is likely the New Orleans Pelicans will be picking at 13, and while there still might be some talent available in that range, there are plenty of reasons to consider trading down or trading out of this draft altogether.

Too Much Uncertainty

I honestly can’t even remember the last time I saw a college basketball player play, but it seems like about seven years ago.

The 2020 NBA Draft will be the most uncertain in history for several reasons. The first is that there is not a consensus top player and if you looked at 100 mock drafts you might see 100 different top-fives.

Talent aside, no one got to see these guys play in conference tournaments or March Madness, so there has been little scouting outside of the regular season, which isn’t always a good indication of how a player will turn out.

On one hand, this is a good thing, as the Pelicans are just as likely to strike gold at pick 13 as they are at number one, but on the other, they are going blindly into the abyss with little idea of what they’ll be getting, especially from underclassman for whom there is very little footage.

Consider a guy like Aaron Nesmith, a potentially elite shooter who missed most of the season with injury. Anyone that chooses him is doing so on faith, as there is little tape on the guy. This is true of many of the players in this draft.

With so much uncertainty, the Pelicans could decide to trade out of this draft altogether and potentially pick up a first round pick in a draft that is considered better and one where they’ll have more time to scout the players.

If the Pels can trade their pick to a rebuilding team who will likely be in the lottery next year, then they might be able to pick up an asset and get a better pick in a better draft.