New Orleans Pelicans: Why Bradley Beal should be #1 offseason target
When the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Washington Wizards tonight, it will be a chance to get a glimpse of one possible future.
The dominance of Zion Williamson has sped up the Pelicans’ timeline for being good, and though they are unlikely to to make the playoffs this season, they will be there soon.
In fact, the Pelicans have to be atop the list of teams most likely to make a huge leap next season, especially if they make the right moves in the offseason.
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They obviously have a lot of things to consider, as both Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart will be restricted free agents and the Pels might have to decide which one to keep.
They will also have to figure out what to do with Eric Bledsoe, whose current salary is not in line with his production.
In addition to taking care of their own guys, the New Orleans Pelicans would love to make a big splash and add another star to go with Zion and Brandon Ingram.
Zion Williamson is already a superstar in this league and Ingram is having another very underrated season, so if they add the right guy, the Pelicans could be contenders sooner rather than later.
In my opinion, Bradley Beal should be that guy.
New Orleans Pelicans: Bradley Beal would be the ideal fit
If the Pelicans can find a way to trade Eric Bledsoe next season and sign one or both of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, they will have a hole in the two-guard slot.
Hart is better suited off the bench and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is not quite ready to be “the” guy yet.
The Pels could also use another scorer, as too much is being put on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram and right now the Pelicans are fairly easy to defend as a team.
If the Pels had another scorer to go with these two, even more lanes would be open for Zion and B.I. to do their thing.
I am not one of those fans obsessed with spacing, as the Pels have one of the top offenses in the league this season, but if they had another scorer, everything would be easier and they could save a little wear and tear on Zion Williamson.
Who better to add than the NBA’s top scorer? If the Wizards decide to blow things up this offseason, the Pels should be the first in line with a big bag of picks and young players for them to choose from.
If the Pels could trade Kira Lewis Jr. NAW and a slew of picks for Beal, they would have the best starting five in the NBA, it’s that simple.