New Orleans Pelicans: “Pass or Pursue” on 3 NBA draft trade-up prospects

Evaluating potential prospects the New Orleans Pelicans could consider if they move up in the 2020 NBA Draft

The 2020 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away if you can believe it, and plenty of people believe that the New Orleans Pelicans could be “movers and shakers” on that night.

That belief only makes sense considering that the Pelicans have an aging All-Star they’d like to move in, Jrue Holiday to go along with a roster full of developing young players, and plenty of draft picks. With that being said, while many people including myself have written about the prospects of the Pelicans trading down in this year’s draft, most people believe there’s a great chance the team tries to trade up.

Why the belief in that bold proclamation? Well, we can start by saying it’s a fun scenario to look at, but it also makes a ton of sense from a team-building standpoint.

If the New Orleans Pelicans move up into the top five spots in the draft, they’ll have the chance to select another marquee talent with All-Star potential to add to a roster that’s already full of it. One more player like that, and we’re talking about the Pelicans setting themselves up to compete for the next decade.

It’s not that simple though, the Pelicans can’t simply move up to the top three and take any prospect and be great. If they move up, they need to select a player who will fit with the team’s current roster and new head coach Stan Van Gundy’s scheme.

So let’s say they do move up and play a game. Looking at the top 3 players who have been linked to the Pelicans, let’s evaluate if they should pass on that player, or pursue them!