New Orleans Pelicans: Does a DeMarcus Cousins reunion make sense?

The soil is ripe for roster moves across the NBA landscape and it would be no surprise to see the New Orleans Pelicans become active going into the March 25 trade deadline.

The Pels have multiple pending matters which need to be resolved promptly, some with more urgency than others.

First, there is the matter of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. As we’ve extensively covered on here, both men are restricted free agents this summer. That means that New Orleans ultimately controls their fate—it just depends how much money they’re willing to pay them.

Then, the youngsters need to be considered. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes need to show constant signs of improvement. Halfway into their second year in the league, you want more than just flashes. Kira Lewis Jr. has more time on his side, but the Pelicans need to get a good idea of where he fits going forward, especially with a top heavy draft class.

Lastly, Stan Van Gundy’s team is still firmly in the playoff hunt. The Pelicans are currently eleventh in the Western Conference. It seems unlikely that they will make the postseason outright, but it remains a possibility. Keep in mind that New Orleans’ strength of schedule in the second half of the season is much more easygoing than during their first 35 games.

And even if the Pels aren’t playoff shoe-ins, then they still have a great chance to qualify for the play-in tournament. That tournament, a new addition to the NBA schedule, gives the seventh-to-tenth ranked teams in each conference a chance to make the playoffs. This is probably what the Pelicans should be aiming to achieve.

Improvement is needed, though. The Pelicans lost their two games before the all-star break and cannot afford major slip-ups until the end of the year. March gives them the perfect chance to restrengthen ahead of a relative reset, and one area in sore need of a boost is the frontcourt.