Reacting to the New Orleans Pelicans-Denver Nuggets Trade

How should New Orleans Pelicans fans feel about the team selecting RJ Hampton and trading him to the Denver Nuggets

Well, this year’s draft has definitely not gone as many New Orleans Pelicans thought it would. In fact, this draft has become proof that there should be a class on the NBA Draft titled: Draft Evaluators Don’t Know Anything.

After nearly every pundit said that the Pelicans need to select a wing or a big in the 2020 NBA Draft, they started their night by selecting point guard Kira Lewis Jr. They followed up that selection by drafting a tweener but someone who could still be considered a wing in RJ Hampton.

That selection made me think that maybe the Pelicans are redeeming themselves in the draft by finally filling their need and putting together a unique team that will be fast and competitive. No! It turns out New Orleans Pelicans aren’t actually keeping RJ Hampton, they’re trading him to the Denver Nuggets for a future draft pick according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Is it fair to ask what the New Orleans Pelicans are doing now? I mean seriously, I’m an optimistic person and even think that Kira Lewis Jr. has the potential to be an All-Star-caliber scoring guard but losing Hampton hurts.

RJ Hampton was a player with great speed and the potential to make the New Orleans Pelicans better by improving one of their weakest areas. Instead, the organization traded him to a rival Western Conference in the Denver Nuggets who are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the NBA for years to come.

In turn, the Pelicans acquire another future pick which will likely big in the 1st round. My thought is that the Pelicans already have enough future picks after the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades, what they needed in this draft was impact players to make this team a playoff contender this season.

Now, RJ Hampton is going to become one of those players that fans will always have their eyes on. If Hampton reaches his potential, he could make the Nuggets even more formidable. If the Nuggets become more formidable then there’s a chance that they dominate the Pelicans for years to come. And while that happens every fan will think, if only we didn’t trade Hampton.

Now I know that could be a bit strong and the Pelicans could still end up winning this trade, but for now, I’m criticizing the move. With a ton of future picks coming in the pipeline, my mandate to the New Orleans Pelicans and their front office is that they better be aggressive with these draft picks, and make this team a perennial contender. If they don’t fans will certainly look back at the 2020 NBA Draft as a major franchise failure.