New Orleans Pelicans: 3 biggest what-ifs from the 2020 NBA Draft

New Orleans Pelicans: Should the Pelicans have moved up for LaMelo Ball?

One of the most hotly debated topics before the draft was whether the Pelicans could try to move up by trading with either the Golden State Warriors or Charlotte Hornets in order to take LaMelo Ball.

The Ball Brothers have always expressed an interest in playing together and the Pels probably had the ammunition to make it happen.

The Ball super fans wanted it of course while others questioned the fit and whether the Pels need another point guard or playmaker.

That question has been answered. They do.

LaMelo Ball has been great so far and is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. With the improved play of Lonzo Ball over the last several games, it is fun to wonder what the Pels might look like if they had both of them.

There is no telling what the Pelicans would have had to give up, and not many predicted that LaMelo would be this good this early, but they are one of the few teams who had the right combination of young talent and draft assets to move up.

What if the Pels had offered some combination of NAW, Jaxson Hayes, the 13th pick and a future 1st for LaMelo? I don’t know if Charlotte would have bitten on that deal or not but I do know the Pels would do it now in a heartbeat and not think twice.

It’s easy to look back on a draft in hindsight and say what should have happened but it’s also fun to ask what could have.