The New Orleans Pelicans need an injection of talent at forward and should be scouring the league for trades to get it, including with the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr.
The Pelicans don’t really have the assets to get him straight up without giving up a piece of their core, so they would likely have to get a third team involved.
Enter the Washington Wizards.
The Denver Nuggets have underachieved this season but their title window is still wide open because of the Nikola Jokic/Jamal Murray duo, which is one of the best in the NBA.
Porter Jr. has been good himself (though his defense is a work in progress) and is only 22-years-old, so the Nuggets aren’t going to trade him unless they are getting back pieces that help them win now.
The Wizards are the third-worst team in the Eastern Conference but would love to get into the bottom three overall to get maximum odds for a number one pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Let’s make it happen.
New Orleans Pelicans: A 3-team trade for Michael Porter Jr.
Here is the skeleton of a trade that would give you an idea of what it might take. The Wizards might want a different combination of players but as long as one of them isn’t Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and to a lesser extent, Lonzo Ball, everyone else is on the table.
Phew! This is a lot to digest. Like I said, this is just a skeleton, as the Wizards may want different players but getting back three former first-round picks plus four future first rounders would be a good place to start.
Who says no?
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading with the Nuggets and Wizards
Why the Nuggets would do it
The Denver Nuggets made the Western Conference Finals last season and know that their window to win a title isn’t going to stay open forever.
Adding another legit superstar like Bradley Beal puts them right in the mix for best “Big 3” in the NBA and raises the ceiling of what they can be for the next few seasons.
They get back two players who can help them win right now and any lineup featuring Jokic, Murray, Beal and Hart would be pretty amazing.
Hart is an upgrade over Michael Porter Jr. defensively and Beal is a massive upgrade over any of their current shooting guards.
Any team that trades for Beal is going to have to give up young talent and picks, but this trade allows the Nuggets to only give up two first rounders of their own, fewer than they’d have to give up if they tried this trade without a third team.
Why the Wizards would do it
I honestly have no idea what the Wizards are doing. If they don’t trade Bradley Beal while he is leading the league in scoring and their team is tanking, then they might have the dumbest front office in the league.
His value is never going to be higher and teams will give up less if he has fewer years remaining on his contract. If the Wizards can get three former first-round picks plus four future first-rounders, their rebuild is well underway.
The Westbrook/Beal pairing is never going to work and Beal is never going to be more valuable than he is right now. They might want a different combination of players, but if they want to rebuild around a Beal trade, they should do it now.
But what about the New Orleans Pelicans?
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading for Michael Porter Jr.
Why wouldn’t the New Orleans Pelicans do this?
They’d really only be giving up Josh Hart, two guys who aren’t in the rotation and two draft picks, which is not bad for a guy with Porter Jr.’s ceiling.
The Pelicans need an injection of talent at the forward position, as they currently only have Zion and Ingram. On paper, Porter Jr. would be perfect, as he can play both spots, is already a very good offensive player and fit the timeline of their two stars.
Porter Jr. along with Lonzo Ball, could give the Pelicans four guys to build around and they are complementary pieces that actually work.
Even if the New Orleans Pelicans had to throw in another pick or two it might be worth it, as they already have enough young talent and draft picks and now need to add some players they know can actually play.
Porter Jr. is still only 22, so getting him is tacitly like getting a draft pick anyway.
As the New Orleans Pelicans drift further from the playoffs, they need to have their eye on the future and players that better fit their stars.
This is the type of blockbuster trade they should be seeking, as they can use their considerable assets to get a guy who could be a star.