Lonzo Ball and the New Orleans Pelicans have been reading trade rumors for the past few seasons.
It makes sense this year, as the Pelicans have gotten off to a poor start, Lonzo Ball is on the final year of his contract and he is clearly the Pels best trade asset.
Fans have been arguing about this for months but the front office has not taken any type of stance on the future of Lonzo Ball since failing to come to a contract extension in the offseason.
There are certainly some arguments for trading Lonzo Ball. His role has changed to the point where it is difficult to predict what he might be in the future or even what position he should play.
Some see him as a pass-first point guard who can defend while others see him as a 3-and-D wing who will get most of his shots and points from behind the 3-point line.
I have no idea if the New Orleans Pelicans will trade Lonzo Ball or if they should, as he has been inconsistent at times and there is some question about his fit with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
But the truth is, if the New Orleans Pelicans had three more of Lonzo Ball, they’d be in a lot better shape than they are now.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball has the skills the Pelicans need
I wrote about the types of players the Pels should try and surround Zion Williamson with now that it is clear he is the centerpiece of the team.
Without naming names, I went through the types of skills that would best complement Zion moving forward.
Lonzo Ball happens to meet most of the criteria of the types of players the Pels should be looking for.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball is a versatile defender
One of the qualities the Pels should seek in players to complement Zion Williamson is guys who are athletic and can defend multiple positions.
Lonzo Ball has proven himself to be that guy, as he’s been the Pels’ best perimeter defender (although that is not saying much) and has guarded everyone from point guards to small forwards.
Lonzo has the size and athleticism to be an elite defender if he continues to commit himself on that end. He’s still not there yet (despite what his supporters might think) as Lonzo still has a hard time battling through screens.
But he’s getting better and appears to be committed to being a top defender, which is all you can ask for from a player who is still very young.
If Lonzo Ball continues to improve, he will absolutely be one of the long, switchable defenders who can complement Zion and BI and help cover some of their defensive weaknesses.
The word “elite” gets thrown around way too much in NBA circles and Lonzo Ball is not there yet, but he can get there.
Either way, trading him would take the Pels a step back defensively unless they were to replace him with someone who is a better defender.
I said that Zion’s ideal teammates would be B.I and three guys who are all over 6-foot-7, can defend multiple spots and shoot a little.
Lonzo Ball meets those criteria, the Pels just a nee a few more like him.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball has played his role without complaining
Lonzo Ball came into the league as a pass-first point guard who loved to have the ball in his hands.
This season, he’s been asked to play off the ball as a shooting guard who doesn’t make as many plays and spends a lot of time shooting 3-point shots.
His 3-point attempts and percentage are currently the highest of his career, and since he came back from injury he’s been shooting over 45 percent from long range.
Some of Lonzo’s biggest fans are irate about this (believe me, I hear about it every day) and think the Pels are wasting his talent.
This might be somewhat true and there is an argument that Stan Van Gundy is not getting the most out of Lonzo Ball.
As much complaint as there has been from fans, we haven’t heard a peep from Lonzo himself. He has embraced his role, gotten better in it and genuinely seems like a guy who will do what it takes to win.
Another criteria for guys to put around Zion Williamson is that they don’t have huge egos. Zion and B.I. are the cornerstones of this team and going to be doing most of the ball handling, the so the Pels don’t need players who believe they are the best guy on the team or think they should be getting 20 shots per game.
Lonzo Ball may not like his new role, but he has taken it on without whining to the media or demanding a trade, which shows he has the type of attitude and ego to be the third option on a good team.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball is a tall shooter
Since coming into the league with an ugly shot, Lonzo Ball has put the work in and turned himself into one of the better 3-point shooters in the league.
Yep, that Lonzo Ball.
The final criteria I had for ideal teammates for Zion Williamson is a tall guy who can shoot the 3-point shot.
I was thinking more in the lines of a stretch-four but Lonzo has good size for a shooting guard or wing and is getting better from behind the arc every night.
This doesn’t mean the New Orleans Pelicans don’t need to look for bigs who can shoot but Lonzo Ball can stretch the floor and make plays, which is something most big men can’t do.
If you were coming up with ideal teammates for Zion Williamson, you can do a whole lot worse than Lonzo Ball, which is why the Pelicans should be careful about trading him.
Zion needs versatile defenders who can shoot and don’t have big egos, and Lonzo Ball has shown he can be that guy.
He still has a lot of improving to do, but he is currently getting a career high in points, 3-point shooting and his defense is good and getting better.
The Pels don’t need to trade Lonzo Ball, they need to clone him.