New Orleans Pelicans: 3 predictions for the trade deadline

New Orleans Pelicans: Trade deadline prediction #2- Eric Bledsoe will not be traded

Eric Bledsoe has drawn the majority of the fans’ ire of late, as he has not played particularly well and fans love blaming a role player rather than the stars or the GM who put this unbalanced team together.

Look, it’s not Bledsoe’s fault that he is replacing a fan favorite, and it is also not his fault that this team has a mess of a roster with no bench.

But he has not done much this season except shoot 3-pointers, his defense has taken a step back and he is still owed around $36 million over the next two seasons.

All of those factors will make Bledsoe difficult to trade unless the Pels attach an asset, which they may not be willing to do.

Fans who dream of unloading Bledsoe for an expiring deal so that the Pelicans can re-sign both Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball should probably forget about it, as no one is taking on Bledsoe’s contract at this point unless they are getting something else of value in return.

The Pels are probably stuck with Bledsoe until the offseason, when more teams will have salary cap to use and needs to fill.

This isn’t the end of the world, but keeping Bledsoe may prevent the Pels from spending for Lonzo Ball, which would be a shame considering Bledsoe is not a part of the long-term plans.