New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Challenges that stand in the way of a playoff spot

The New Orleans Pelicans have to prepare to face opponents who will have massive upgrades after the NBA’s trade deadline

Challenge #3- Improving Opponents

The last challenge I have for the New Orleans Pelicans is one that not a lot of people are talking about. It’s the fact that a lot of the Pelicans’ opponents will get better after the trade deadline, and some of those opponents could get significantly better.

Now I know that some of you are thinking that the Pelicans could make a deadline move too, and it’s true they could, but it’s not likely to be a significant move. I say that because even though the Pelicans have a significant amount of draft picks and young players, they aren’t going to trade them away just to make the end of the Western Conference playoffs.

Also, we need to consider the financial implications a move like that would have. The Pelicans have already invested a lot into their roster with the acquisitions of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe. That means as I wrote before, I highly doubt that the Bensons will want the Pelicans front office adding a lot more money to the payroll.

What that suggests is that the Pelicans’ closest competitors might add significant upgrades to their roster while they stay put. That’ll be challenging because the team will have to play their best basketball for the rest of the season to beat improved opponents.

Overall, I believe the New Orleans Pelicans are in good shape entering the next season. They feel confident, and that feeling should help them play some good basketball out the gate early. However, we can’t predict how the season will end for the team given these significant obstacles that this team will face in 2021.