The New Orleans Pelicans are now four games back from the 8th seed as the midway point approaches.
With a difficult schedule in the second half, the Pels’ chances at a playoff berth are dwindling, though no one has really separated themselves from the pack that the Pelicans are currently in.
The New Orleans Pelicans will have to decide whether to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline and have some tough decisions to make.
Others aren’t so difficult, as the Pelicans clearly have some guys who are not great fits around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram and need to be traded for players who are.
I detailed the type of players the Pelicans need to put around Zion, and they currently have only one of them, maybe two.
When it comes to who to trade and who who to keep, Zion and Ingram are the only absolutely, no chance it is happening guys on the list, and the rest are all up for debate. I am not going to include them on the list because there is no feasible trade out there that would involve either of the franchise cornerstones.
So who to trade and who to keep? Let’s break it down by position, starting with the easiest one.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trade or keep? Power Forwards
Nicolo Melli-trade
This one is about as easy as it gets.
The New Orleans Pelicans would trade Nicolo Melli for a plate of decently cooked pasta at this point, though they’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wants a stretch-four who can’t shoot, defend or rebound.
Wenyen Gabriel-trade
Same with Wenyen Gabriel, who has not been able to crack a rotation that literally does not have a backup at his position. That’s not a good sign.
If the Pelicans could move Gabriel and a 2nd-round pick for an underachieving shooter on a bad team, they should pick up the phone.
Trade both if you can get anything or just to get them off the bench.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trade or keep? Shooting Guards
JJ. Redick-trade
Redick is the most likely Pelican to be traded even though he has had one of the worst seasons of his career. He is only shooting 35 percent from behind-the-arc, which is the lowest of his career and since he doesn’t do much else these days, Redick is borderline unplayable. Some team will definitely take a chance that Redick will turn it around, but it’s clear now that the Pels should have moved him in the offseason before everyone knew he was cooked.
Eric Bledsoe-trade
Eric Bledsoe is the perfect “stats don’t tell the whole story” player, as he is having one of his better seasons shooting the ball, especially from the 3-point line, but has taken steps backward in just about every other area. Bledsoe’s defense is definitely not what it once was and the fact that he made the All-Defensive team last season is starting to look like a typo. The Pels are regularly giving up huge nights to other guards, usually the one Bledsoe is defending. His shooting is still too inconsistent to call him a threat and he doesn’t even try to penetrate anymore. Unfortunately, he is another guy whose value just keeps going down.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker-trade
NAW does not really fit the mold of the type of player to put around Zion Williamson. I have never really been a huge believer in NAW, mostly because his entire offensive game revolves around taking difficult shots, so when he is making them he looks amazing but he looks like garbage when he isn’t. He doesn’t defend or shoot the 3-ball well enough to be a 3-and-D wing and makes far too many mistakes to be a lead ball handler. He has a movable contract and upside, so the Pels might be able to get something in return for a guy who can’t crack the rotation over a 19-year-old rookie or broke down Redick.
Josh Hart-pending
I wrote about what it might take to keep Josh Hart and it is starting to look like something that probably won’t happen. He is good enough that some team is going to offer him $15 million or more per season and the Pels simply won’t be able to do that unless they trade Eric Bledsoe. Even if they can unload Bledsoe, do they really want to splash out that much for Hart? People keep talking about his defense, versatility and rebounds, all strengths but he is not that big and offers next to nothing offensively. He’s actually gotten worse in that area, so I am not sure the Pels should be in the Josh Hart market unless that market is in the $10 million range, which it probably won’t be.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trade or keep? Centers
Steven Adams-keep
I know a lot of people are concerned with the fit with Zion and Ingram and those concerns are valid. Adams takes up a lot of space in exactly the area the Pels two best players are trying to go with the ball, so it makes some sense when people say it won’t work with him offensively. But the Pels offense is not the problem, it’s their woeful defense and Adams is one of the only guys who plays it. The Pels could definitely be talked into trading him if the deal was right but I am far more concerned with the other guys than Adams. With the right roster of role players, Adams and Zion can work together, but the Pels need other players who can defend and shoot and right now they don’t have them.
Jaxson Hayes: trade
I hated the Jaxson Hayes pick at the time and hate it even more now. David Griffin seems to be infatuated with “athleticism” but doesn’t seem to care if the guys have a single usable basketball skill, which Hayes currently does not. His ceiling is basically a guy who can block shots and run the floor, which is pretty low considering where he was drafted. And though he might have a highlight reel dunk now and then, Hayes has not even shown many flashes of the player he would need to be to be effective around Zion and Ingram. Choosing a center with nary a single recognizable basketball skill other than the nebulous “athleticism” was a bad call. He is still very young and could definitely evolve over time but until then the Pelicans wasted a top-ten pick on a guy who wouldn’t be a fit if he was in peak form.
Willy Hernangomez: keep
Hernangomez has shown he can be an effective backup in this league. He’s making a low salary and might be attractive to other teams in a trade, but the Pels need more depth, not less, so trading him wouldn’t really help. There is even an argument that the Pels should try to move Adams and just go with guys like Hernangomez, who make little and contribute in ways that help the Pelicans, namely blocking shots and grabbing rebounds.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trade or keep? Point guards
Kira Lewis Jr.-keep
This is another draft pick that I wasn’t happy about at the time but the book is still out on Kira Lewis Jr. since he is only 19-years-old and has shown flashes.
But why draft another undersized guard? It really didn’t make sense at the time, especially when there were wings on the board who better fit what the Pelicans need.
Watching Saddiq Bey shoot 41 percent from 3-point range for the Pistons while defending all over the floor makes me wonder why he is not in a Pelicans’ uniform right now, as he is exactly the type of player you want to add around two ball-dominant guys like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
I am not ready to give up on Kira Lewis Jr. and this is not his fault, but it’s fair to question if he was the right choice and how he ultimately fits this roster. David Griffin would have to explain that one to you because I can’t.
Lonzo Ball-keep
I am ready to ink Lonzo Ball to a max deal, as he is the type of player who will work around their two stars. Whether Lonzo is interested in being a playmaking 3-and-D wing is another issue, as that is not what he came in the league as and may desire a different role for a team that doesn’t have two guys who need the ball in their hands all the time. Lonzo has stayed quiet, thrived in his role and has rounded into one of the better volume 3-point shooters in the NBA. He is probably more valuable as this version of himself than as a pass-first point guard, but that is for he and his agent to decide. The New Orleans Pelicans have their third piece already and if David Griffin decides to jettison him, I am going to really start to question his ability to build a team. Lonzo is a tall playmaker who can shoot 3-pointers and defend, which is precisely what the Pels lack, so trading him away makes no sense.
The New Orleans Pelicans continue to take two steps forward and three steps back in the standings, and with the deadline approaching, are going to have some tough decisions to make.