Pelicans: What we can learn from the last game before deadline

The New Orleans Pelicans will play their final game before the trade deadline tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pels are still outside of the playoff picture and are unlikely to make any splashy moves at the deadline, much to the dismay of the part of the fanbase that wants things shaken up.

The Lakers will be missing their two superstars, so the Pelicans are favored, though I would not bet on them winning considering how this season has gone.

The Pelicans would need a miraculous run at this point to make the playoffs, so it’s far more likely they will be in the lottery which could nudge them towards being sellers at the trade deadline.

Will we learn anything from this final game before the March 25th deadline? Maybe.

New Orleans Pelicans: Who will play vs. the Lakers?

Lonzo Ball missed the last game with injury and is expected to sit this one out as well, so we won’t know any more about the possibilities of him being traded or where he might go. 

However, it’s possible that we will get a read on how the Pels feel about a couple of other guys, namely Eric Bledsoe.

Bledsoe has been in trade rumors for weeks but his poor play has put a damper on them. If the Pels think that he will be traded, then we might see him sit with a sudden “injury” or “stomach problem,” which seems to be a common ailment for players who are about to get traded.

Even if Bledsoe plays, how he is used may tell us a little about how the Pels see his future with the team. Nickel Alexander-Walker has played well in the last two games, so he will probably get the start in Lonzo’s absence, but could we also see Kira Lewis Jr. get the nod?

If both NAW and Lewis Jr. play big minutes while Bledsoe is on the bench, then we might get a glimpse into how the Pels see the future.

If Bledsoe doesn’t play at all, expect a trade. If he plays sparingly it could mean the Pels will go with the youth movement for rest of the season and if he plays a lot it could mean the Pelicans still think they have a chance to make the playoffs.

We won’t know definitively who is staying or going until Friday but until then we can speculate based on what happens in this game against the Lakers.