New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball’s Future Is Now In the Air

The New Orleans Pelicans might part ways with Lonzo Ball

As the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2019-20 season officially came to end a few weeks ago, there’s been non-stop speculation about what happens next to the organization with the brightest future in the NBA.

This speculation was including thoughts on who the New Orleans Pelicans might select to be their next head coach and has continued into what players could be used as assets for the Pelicans in a trade. One name that came up yesterday was a bit of shock though, Lonzo Ball.

On his new radio show for ESPN, “Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin”, basketball analyst Jay Williams reported that he was hearing that the New Orleans Pelicans were shopping Lonzo Ball when discussing LaMelo Ball’s NBA potential.

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This was a shocking revelation because even though Jay Williams might not be a lead NBA insider, he has plenty of sources through ESPN meaning there might be some truth to this.

Why Are The New Orleans Pelicans Considering Moving Ball?

I recently wrote about why I thought giving up on Lonzo Ball would be a mistake, and even though I think it’s a bad idea that doesn’t mean that the Pelicans’ front office may have valid reasoning to consider it.

Let’s start with the obvious one, Lonzo Ball was the worst player on the New Orleans Pelicans in their recent 2-6 stint in the NBA Bubble. During that stretch, we all saw Lonzo Ball’s shot fall apart on him and his scoring numbers plummet. Worse than that everyone watching the Pelicans saw a player who was supposed to lead from the point-guard position look passive and uninterested in playing with his team.

That might be all that David Griffin and the rest of the team’s front office needed to see to say that Lonzo Ball isn’t a winning player in the NBA. For a team that’s looking to finally become a championship contender, Lonzo Ball’s attitude might be the biggest reason why he’s on the market.

What ends up also building off of Lonzo Ball’s poor bubble stint is his contract status. This offseason, Lonzo Ball is eligible to sign a max extension with the New Orleans Pelicans, but does he deserve it?

With the organization having to pay Brandon Ingram this summer and already thinking about Zion Williamson’s contract down the line it might not make sense for the team to pay Lonzo Ball big-time money when he hasn’t completely put his game together yet.

What Moving Lonzo Ball Means For The New Orleans Pelicans

If the New Orleans Pelicans organization is thinking about moving Lonzo Ball, it wouldn’t be for a draft pick that’s for sure. The New Orleans Pelicans will only trade Lonzo Ball if they’re swinging for the fences.

This means that David Griffin is ready to be aggressive with his treasure trove of assets and make a deal to add All-Star level talent to the New Orleans Pelicans now. This puts players like Bradley Beal, Myles Turner, and Ben Simmons all on the Pelicans radar.

A potential package for any of those players would be based on Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday. With Lonzo Ball’s addition to any trade package, it makes it more realistic that trading for one of these All-Star caliber players can happen.

This report means that the New Orleans Pelicans’ front office is getting bold, to say the least. Hopefully, the organization makes the right move and not a short-sighted one that will set the team back and cost them Lonzo Ball in the process.