The New Orleans Pelicans should take a look at trading for veteran shooting guard Lou Williams
Although free agency signings and trades have slowed down, I have a feeling the New Orleans Pelicans are still looking to make one final move.
The Pelicans roster seems to be full. But, In a completely stacked Western Conference you may ask yourself, “Can this Pelicans team make the playoffs?”
I think The Pelicans are still missing a piece to put them into guaranteed playoff contention.
Lou Williams could be that missing piece.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times,
"“The additions of Ibaka and Luke Kennard (via trade with Detroit) are just the beginning; many rival teams also expect the Clippers to trade Lou Williams in their quest to create a fresh-start environment after they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets.”"
Following this past postseason, there have been tons of rumors surrounding the Clippers and what they will do moving forward.
It all started with news of Kawhi Leonard wanting the Clippers to sign a new point guard.
And then news was released that a few players thought Kawhi was being treated unfairly by the Clippers organization.
And then, most recently, there were signs of frustration when the Clippers decided to let go of Montrezl Harrell.
🤦🏾♂️what🤬 https://t.co/44m24c60Ux
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) November 21, 2020
Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams seemed to be the three players that were most disappointed with how things played out last season.
I would not at all be surprised if the Clippers decide to ship out Lou Will and/or Patrick Beverley before the season starts.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lou Williams could provide leadership and buckets off the bench
A trade for Sweet Lou
Lou Williams is great at creating shots for himself, and teammates. Lou has averaged over five assists in the past three seasons while playing under 30 minutes.
Not only that, but he’s also averaged between 18-22 PPG–off the bench.
It is extremely valuable to have a player that is able to come off the bench and put up those type of numbers. There are only a handful of teams who have someone like that.
And although Lou Williams is 34, some could say his play is aging like wine.
With age comes experience. Players learn what works for them and what doesn’t. A player like Lou doesn’t rely on his athleticism to get his buckets, therefore age isn’t an issue here.
Bringing Lou Williams onto this Pelicans roster would put them into playoff contention.
What a Lou Williams trade will look like:
By doing this trade, The Clippers get a point guard “who can run a team and can shoot” like Kawhi wants and then they receive another young point guard with potential in NAW along with Nicolo Melli.
The Pelicans improve here as well getting the best player in the trade: Lou Williams and they also get a hard-nosed player in Patrick Beverley to provide an extra spark off the bench.
Financially, the trade checks out since Lou Williams is only owed $8 million dollars next season and Patrick Beverley’s contract nearly matches Bledsoes.
This trade would give the New Orleans Pelicans more established depth for next season while also creating additional cap space for the future.
It would be a calculated risk on the part of the Pelicans, but one that could end in making the playoffs.