The New Orleans Pelicans should go for a championship as soon as possible.
The New Orleans Pelicans have some of the best young players in the league and a ton of draft assets, so the future looks pretty bright.
But anyone who has watched sports knows that bright futures can turn into depressing presents and non-existent futures very quickly.
Zion Williamson is still on his rookie deal and Brandon Ingram is about to sign his first extension, so it makes sense that the Pelicans are not quite there yet.
However, after trading Jrue Holiday and adding Steven Adams, the Pels are closer to “win now” territory than you might think, and could easily push in all of their chips for a big trade.
It may seem crazy to try and trade for someone like James Harden but why? If the goal is to win titles then you should do it when you can, not when it is most convenient for your future salary cap and draft capital.
Small market teams are particularly bad at selling their fans on some distant “future.” Look! we have shiny draft picks forever! Don’t pay attention to the fact that we didn’t make the playoffs again! It is coming in the future!
This line of thinking is what causes teams to miss opportunities for titles. Here are three reasons why the New Orleans Pelicans should go for it now.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading for James Harden or another superstar makes this team a contender.
Reason #1: The OKC Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder once had a team with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook on one roster. If you’re counting at home, that is three MVPs on one team.
The Thunder came achingly close to beating the Warriors in the playoffs and may have won a title that year if they had. Every real basketball fan wanted them to run it back, as it seemed like the Thunder/Warriors rivalry would be one for the ages.
That’s until Durant walked in free agency and the Thunder shipped out James Harden and eventually Westbrook. The Thunder still made the playoffs this season and they have 800 future draft picks but that may have been their one shot to win a title.
It was right there but they didn’t do enough to get it done and now they might never get another chance like that. Then again, maybe they will. Maybe Sam Presti will work his magic again, but the Thunder could taste that title and then watched it disappear.
The Pelicans cannot make the same mistake. They are not in the same situation yet, but what happens when Zion is a free agent and they are still trying to sell him on the future? Still trying to sell him on a new cast of 20-year-old teammates every season, still trying to sell him on potential?
The Pels may not have to go for it now but if they wait too long to at least try, Zion will go somewhere else and the Pels will be back to a Thunder-like existence of hoarding assets in perpetuity.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson is an injury risk
Reason #2: Zion could get hurt
The main reason the Pelicans are even in the current position they are in is complete luck.
They got lucky to get the number one pick when they had very low odds of doing so.
Not only that, they got lucky that there happened to be a generational superstar available with the first pick. If the Pels had gotten lucky this year instead, they’d have Anthony Edwards, not Zion.
But Zion has already proven to be fragile, missing most of the last season with a knee injury and then looking out of shape when he did play.
Zion looks slimmed down in recent photos, and the young man has had some bad luck, but you can’t count on him to be healthy for ten years.
The Pelicans need to go for it now while Zion is still on 20-year-old knees that could go out on him at any time.
His combination of size and sheer force means an injury is always waiting to happen and without Zion, the Pelicans suddenly look like a lottery team.
They have the opportunity to take advantage of a unique talent, a guy who you can absolutely build a title team around. Few teams have a guy like this, but he won’t last forever, and I’d hate the Pelicans to be thinking “what if” in three years if Zion ends up hurt.
New Orleans Pelicans: Winning with Zion Williamson on a rookie deal will be easier
Reason #3: Winning with Zion on a rookie deal will be easier
Zion Williamson is one of a handful of players in the league that you can build a championship roster around.
There aren’t many guys who have the talent to be the centerpiece, to be the one who all the other moves are based around. Zion is one of them.
The rest of them are all making between $30-40 million a year.
Zion Williamson is under contract through 2022-23 and making only $10 million next season and ramping up to $13 million in the final season.
Do you have any idea how huge an advantage that is?
The Pelicans are getting potential superstar production out of a guy who is making less than Luke Babbitt and Cody Zeller, Will Barton and Jordan Clarkson. Zion Williamson makes less than all of the Plumlees.
That gives the Pelicans the advantage of having a superstar who is getting paid like a role player, which means they have another slot for a big salary.
They could use their ample draft capital to try and trade for a guy like James Harden or Bradley Beal. The Pels have the ammo to do a deal like this and still have draft picks in every draft.
They can do it and they should, as you never know what could happen. Zion could get hurt or decide he wants to be a Laker.
The Pels should go for it now while their best player is cheap and the window is open. Otherwise, they may just be another small-market team that no one wants to play for sitting on top of a pile of hope.