The New Orleans Pelicans could make a smart move by sending Lonzo Ball to the New York Knicks
The New Orleans Pelicans season is offically a disaster. The team is now 5-10 to open up the year, and with a competitive Western Conference, it looks like the Pelicans will miss the playoffs (barring a second-half turnaround).
There’s a multitude of reasons why this year has gone off the rails, but one of the biggest is the team’s backcourt. Lonzo Ball is in the final year of his contract and expecting a big payday this offseason, but the young guard feels like the odd-man-out on this team.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have started their own turnaround in the Eastern Conference, but it’s clear they still need some point guard help. That got me thinking that it could be possible for the Pelicans to send Lonzo Ball to a Knicks team he could strive on while also getting some key pieces back in return. Here’s the deal:
In this move, the Knicks take a chance by trading for Lonzo Ball and hoping he’ll be the player from last season in a new situation.
On the flip side, the Pelicans would receive a guard who could contribute coming off the bench, a young wing who still has promise, and a low 1st round pick in the upcoming draft.
The benefits of this deal go beyond just the simple return for both teams, let’s dig deeper into why both the Knicks and the Pelicans would make this move.
Acquiring Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans could help the New York Knicks develop the rest of their young players too
Why the Knicks make the trade
For the New York Knicks, this move goes beyond just acquiring a set-up man style point guard. This deal is designed for the Knicks to continue moving their franchise forward.
Acquiring Lonzo Ball gives the Knicks a point guard who will not only fit the distributor role in Tom Thibodeau’s new scheme but will also help the rest of the Knicks’ young players develop too.
Think about it, the New York Knicks have a lot of shotmakers on their team. They have RJ Barrett at the shooting guard position, Julius Randle at the forward spot, and to a degree Mitchell Robinson in the middle too. What’s making those players thrive this season?
Point guard play. The Knicks have been helped enormously by Elfrid Payton’s ability to set-up his teammates for open shots. The problem is Payton is a poor offensive player and mediocre defender.
Acquiring Lonzo Ball would be an instant upgrade over Payton for the Knicks. He’d continue to help the roster grow by being a distributor, but he’d also give the Knicks good defense and some outside shooting too.
The deal makes sense for this young New York team striving to make the playoffs, and if I’m Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau, it’s a deal that’s high on my wishlist. Now, let’s look at why the New Orleans Pelicans do this.
The New Orleans Pelicans make this deal to acquire depth and give opportunities to the younger players on their roster
Why the Pelicans make the trade
I like this deal for the New Orleans Pelicans because, in exchange for Lonzo Ball, they’d be acquiring a few pieces that would fill obvious holes on their roster.
Starting with Austin Rivers. Rivers was drafted by the old New Orleans regime back in 2012 with the 10th pick in the draft. Sure, he never lived up to his draft billing, but he’s developed into a pretty impressive role player.
Capable of playing both the point and shooting guard, Rivers fits Stan Van Gundy’s system better than Lonzo Ball because he’s a strong pick-and-roll player and a fantastic 3 point shooter. He’s making 40 percent of his 3s to open the season, and having him command the bench could help the Pelicans a lot.
Secondly, the Pelicans could get Kevin Knox on the squad, a young player who has some promise but needs to get out of New York. Knox is a 6’7″ forward with an impressive wingspan and solid defensive abilities, but he lacks offense in his game. Maybe coming to New Orleans would and working with assistant Fred Vinson would allow Knox to find a role as a 3-and-D wing.
And of course, how could forget about this deal netting the Pelicans another 1st round pick? Sure, this pick wouldn’t be high if the Knicks make the playoffs, but it will give the Pelicans flexibility to make a move.
Altogether, this deal looks like a win for both sides, and something that the New Orleans Pelicans should definitely consider.