New Orleans Pelicans: A bold draft night trade for Bradley Beal

The New Orleans Pelicans trade for Bradley Beal during the 2020 NBA Draft because the future is uncertain

The reason I think the New Orleans Pelicans pull the trigger on this deal is that their bright future is also an uncertain one.

We like to believe that Zion Williamson is a generational talent who’ll dominate the league for years to come, but he already has injury concerns and a problem conditioning his body.

Brandon Ingram flourished into one of the NBA’s best scorers this past season but he hasn’t shown that scoring ability consistently over multiple seasons.

Then there’s Lonzo Ball who fell apart in the NBA bubble causing many to question if he’ll be with the Pelicans long term. These observations may sound pessimistic but they’re just the facts.

Adding Bradley Beal to this team means that the Pelicans can put off looking at those harsh realities and simply plan for the short term because Beal instantly creates a championship window for the team.

With Bradley Beal in the fold, the Pelicans would have an unstoppable big three of Beal, Ingram, and Williamson while still having plenty of resources to quickly craft a champion around them.

It’s a win-now move for sure but it has to be considered if the Pelicans don’t want to repeat their mistakes with Anthony Davis. Just think, would you rather see the New Orleans Pelicans as a solid playoff team in the western conference for a decade or see them as a serious title threat for in a five-year window? That’s the case for adding Bradley Beal.