New Orleans Pelicans: 3 team trade with OKC and the New York Knicks for Chris Paul

New Orleans Pelicans: Trading Jrue Holiday in a 3-team deal with Knicks and Thunder

Why the Pelicans would do it

Like the Thunder, the Pelicans have a chance to get assets that help them win now and in the future if they deal their veteran point guard.

In this trade, the Pelicans get back a nice point guard of their own in Dennis Schroder, who immediately makes their bench a lot better. His style would mesh with the second unit, or with Lonzo Ball, so Schroder would make the Pels deeper.

Same with Julius Randle, who is essentially insurance against a Zion Williamson injury. Randle would be a beast off the bench, as he is tough to stop in the paint, and as I said, he gives the team a solid backup option for Zion.

The Pelicans also move up in the draft to #8, where they are more likely to find impact talent. They could likely get the best wing in the draft or grab a big man to go alongside Jaxson Hayes. They add yet another pick at 25 that they could move or use to take a chance on more young talent.

Either way, the roster would be more balanced, much deeper and the Pelicans would be getting future cap space to boot. Both Randle and Schroder’s contracts are one year less than Holiday’s, so the Pels would have the money to extend their own guys with plenty of cap space to spare.

They’d have over $30 million to spend in the free-agent class of 2021 or to use to absorb a contract in a trade for someone like Bradley Beal. The Pelicans would have more roster flexibility now and in the future and would have another top-ten pick to build around.

This is just a hypothetical of course, but the Pelicans should be scouring the league for deal like this. If they can get involved in the right 3-team trade, the Pelicans can set themselves up now and for the future.