New Orleans Pelicans: Taking risks on poor shooters in free agency/trades

New Orleans Pelicans: Potential projects to bring back in trades

Trade Candidates

New Orleans has a bounty of draft picks over the next five years and those can be used to create an enticing package to acquire a talented player from another team.

Nassir Little – Portland

It might be hard to get Portland to agree to a deal given that Little just finished his rookie season, but the emergence of Gary Trent Jr. during the bubble gives New Orleans an opening.

Going into the 2019 draft Little was seen as one of the better 3-and-D players available although he didn’t have a stellar freshman year.

Little didn’t play much in his rookie year, averaging just 11.9 minutes per game, although there’s still plenty to like about his game. His three-point percentage in the NBA (23.7 percent) is worse than it was during his time at UNC (26.9 percent), and his free throw shooting is in a similar boat.

The main reason a team would acquire Little is his defense. At 6’5″ 220 lbs he is big enough not to get bullied in the paint but still quick enough on the perimeter so that he can switch when necessary.

Justise Winslow – Memphis

Winslow has long been a hot commodity and was someone that Charlotte thought very highly of, so high in fact that they turned down four future first-round picks for him in the 2015 draft. His shine has worn off a little since then but he’s still one of the better wing defenders in the NBA.

Winslow is a career 33.7 percent three-point shooter, but he dropped off severely this season, making just 22.2 percent of his attempts from behind the line. The ability is still there he just needs to become more consistent with his jumper, although he has never been a great shooter at any level.

What gives him some more value is his ability to run a team’s offense for stretches and being pretty good at doing it. We saw the Heat give him the keys to the offense last season when Goran Dragic went down with an injury.

The biggest worry is the hip injury he sustained during Memphis’ time in the bubble. He got hurt during practice and was not available for any of the Grizzlies’ seeding games. His absence was felt, as the Grizzlies fell to the ninth seed and lost to Portland. If he can get back to 100 percent health he will be an important part of a team.

Aaron Gordon – Orlando

I’ve written about the Pelicans trading for Gordon in the past but he would be a huge addition for this team. He’s been up and down and below average as a three-point shooter more often than not. With New Orleans, he could have his shot reshaped and get back to being average at least.

The biggest reason that New Orleans should trade for Gordon is his all-around game. He can defend on the perimeter and in the paint and run the offense for a team. Orlando hasn’t used him much as a playmaker, although he is a good facilitator from the high post and can be used almost how Golden State uses Draymond Green. Gordon has averaged 3.7 assists per game the last two seasons while playing with a team that has very little outside shooting.

With New Orleans, Gordon would have multiple options to kick the ball out to on a drive and knock down threes with ease. Like I mentioned earlier, the addition of Gordon would make pregame shoot around appointment viewing.  A pick-and-roll between Zion and Gordon could see tons of lob finishes in games.

Gordon is the most expensive player on this list and would require the Pelicans to give up a lot to bring him to New Orleans.

Teams often give up on players who don’t shoot well right away, which is a mistake the New Orleans Pelicans can take advantage of.

If they can find the right rehab project, the Pelicans could potentially get an impact player at a low-cost. It’s worth the risk if they can find the right fit.