New Orleans Pelicans: Taking risks on poor shooters in free agency/trades
By Tim Burke
New Orleans Pelicans: Free agents that could improve
Players to sign this offseason.
This free-agent class isn’t loaded with top-end talent and the Pelicans had little projected cap space before everything that happened this season. The team will have to look very hard to find any potential steals in free agency.
Shaquille Harrison – Chicago Bulls (Restricted)
The 26-year-old Harrison has been a good wing defender for a Bulls team that is lacking that skillset, which means New Orleans would have to pay a premium to bring Harrison to the Big Easy.
While his Defensive Win Shares went down from last season to this season, he also played about 1,000 fewer minutes in 2019-20 than he did in 2018-19. DWS is an accumulation stat so less playing time means less opportunity to gain the stat.
Harrison might have already figured out his shooting stroke this season, as his three-point percentage improved dramatically from the season before (38.1 vs 27.0 percent). If he can continue to shoot at that clip and defend well on the wing, that combination will make his price climb once free agency opens.
What helps New Orleans is the Chicago salary sheet at the moment. Next season the Bulls are already committed to spending $106 million on team payroll. There’s an opening for the Pelicans to offer a deal to Harrison that Chicago can’t match.
Josh Jackson – Memphis Grizzlies (Unrestricted)
Jackson has shown flashes of being a rotation piece for a competitive team but hasn’t consistently brought that level of production from game to game. The fourth overall pick from the 2017 draft had his 2020-21 team option declined last October by Memphis, making him an unrestricted free agent once the offseason begins. If Jackson feels slighted by this he could bring an extra level of intensity to prove his doubters wrong.
His best shooting season from deep was 2018-19 when he made 32.4 percent of his three-point attempts. His percentage fell slightly this season but he didn’t fall off a cliff. Jackson could have his jumper reworked to become more effective from three and help space the floor.
Jackson has never been a good defender but he’s always been capable on that end. At 6’8″ 207 lbs he can stay with any of the big wings that dominate the NBA today. With New Orleans, he wouldn’t be a starter or even play 20 minutes each game but he would get a chance to grow as a player without the spotlight on him. Taking on that role would be a real humbling move for Jackson although it could be the best thing for his career.
Memphis has already said they aren’t sure about Jackson as a player, so this is the time to bring him to New Orleans and get his career back on the track worthy of a former fourth overall selection.
Derrick Jones Jr. – Miami Heat (Unrestricted)
The only player so far who is still playing in this postseason, Jones is a versatile defender who can leap out of the gym at a moment’s notice. It would be hard to see the Heat moving on from Jones, who has been such a valuable piece to Miami’s rotation in the last few seasons.
Because Jones is so athletic, he’s able to make up for lack of size against some of the bigger guys in the league. That athleticism may have caused him to neglect other parts of his game because he’s able to make up for mistakes so easily.
A career 28.2 percent three-point shooter, Jones has never been mistaken for Steph Curry from beyond the arc. Another knock against his shooting ability is his 69 percent free throw percentage for his career, but he actually shot much better than that this season, making 77.2 percent of his attempts from the line.
Similar to a player who will appear later on this list, Jones with New Orleans would make getting to the arena early a necessity to see the dunk contest between him and Zion.