The New Orleans Pelicans came into this season with a lot of interesting pieces that may not fit.
They have identified Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as the two foundational pieces of their rebuild but just about everyone else is suspect.
Lonzo Ball has probably played himself into a max extension, as he seems like the type of player who will fit well with the two stars and can be part of the core moving forward.
Everyone else? Well, that is up for debate. But what isn’t up for debate is that the Pels need a lot of changes before next season if they are going to contend for a playoff spot or more.
Their bench has been awful all season, so the Pels need depth.
They also need defenders, as they are currently 29th in the NBA in defensive rating, which can’t all be put on Stan Van Gundy’s scheme.
I’ve outlined the types of players the Pels need to add around Zion, so with that in mind, here is how to fix the roster in one offseason, starting with this year’s trade deadline.
New Orleans Pelicans: What the Pels should do at the trade deadline
If I were David Griffin, I’d be looking to make some trades with the future in mind. I recently wrote about which players the Pelicans should trade and keep and to be honest, there aren’t a lot of keepers on the list.
J.J. Redick will almost certainly be moved for an expiring contract and maybe a second-round pick. The Pels should also trade Eric Bledsoe, whose salary slot could be the first year of Lonzo’s extension.
I would also trade Josh Hart before the deadline, as he will command a raise that the Pelicans cannot afford and doesn’t have the the size or offensive consistency they need.
If they can find takers on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they should also send him packing, as the Pels don’t need combo guards who don’t have a defined role.
Even Jaxson Hayes should be on the table, as he doesn’t seem to have the skillset that will work with Zion Williamson and could fetch an expiring deal and a pick at the deadline.
Heading into next offseason, the Pels should get as much of this money off the books as possible so that they can spend it on free agents (or future trades) for guys that better fit their stars.
In my opinion, the Pels should head into the offseason with Zion, Ingram Ball, Steven Adams and Kira Lewis Jr., with everyone else on the table.
New Orleans Pelicans: Free agents to target in the offseason
If the New Orleans Pelicans trade or let Redick and Melli walk, trade Bledsoe and can move off their young contracts, they should, as they need to retool this team with 3-and-D players.
But who might those be? We outlined a few low-cost guys the Pelicans could target, all of which would be upgrades for their bench.
But there are also some veterans who could be nice fits, or at least better than the rag-tag and poorly-constructed roster they currently have around Zion and BI.
For unrestricted free agents, guys like Victor Oladipo, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Evan Fournier make some sense as possible fits.
As for power forwards, PJ Tucker and Semi Ojeleye would both be guys who could add some defense and toughness to the Pelicans’ front court.
If they wanted to get into the restricted free agent market, John Collins would be worth an offer, as would Jarrett Allen and possibly even someone like Bruce Brown, who would be a low-cost and versatile defender to put next to Lonzo.
If Kawhi Leonard opts out the New Orleans Pelicans should throw the house at him but neither of those things are likely to happen.
Lauri Markkanen is a guy we have mentioned as a possible fit in the past, and Duncan Robinson could elevate the Pels’ awful shooting if he could be had for the right price.
As you can see, there is not one free agent who is going to turn the New Orleans Pelicans into a contender (though John Collins would be closest) so they are going to have to make savvy trades, find low-cost contributors and hit in the draft.
New Orleans Pelicans: The types of players the Pels need to draft
If there is one area where David Griffin has taken some heat, it’s the draft, as he has not drafted well yet outside of Zion Williamson.
Hayes has yet to show how he can fit on this team even though he is a freakish athlete for his size and could end up being a plus-shot blocker.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker can’t beat out a teenage rookie or old Redick for minutes and hasn’t shown much in two seasons.
Kira Lewis Jr. has shown flashes but might be too small to be a full-time point guard in the league, so David Griffin needs to hit in this next draft or risk going another season without adding impact talent.
There were some big what-ifs from the last draft, most notably what if Griffin had just taken Saddiq Bey as many of us were screaming? He is a 6-foot-8 defender who can shoot 3-pointers, which is exactly what the Pelicans need.
Obviously, if they end up landing in the top-3, everything changes, but if not, the Pels need to draft players for need and fit, not just tantalizing athletic talent as they have the last two seasons. They need to draft the athletic, rim running wings that they need to compete defensively and if any of them can shoot even better.
The New Orleans Pelicans have three pieces that most of the league envies, but they don’t have much else. David Griffin is not on the hot seat yet, but he will be if he can’t make recognizable improvement to this roster in the offseason.