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.
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.
New Orleans Pelicans: Bradley Beal’s contract fits with Zion Williamson’s
One thing the Pelicans will have to consider with any big trade is how that player’s contract will align with Zion Williamson’s future extension.
I wrote earlier in the season that Zion Williamson is THE reason to go after Beal. Not only would this show the youngster that the Pels are committed to winning, but Beal’s contract lines up perfectly with Zion’s.
Beal only has two more seasons left on his deal after this one, same as Zion, so his big contract would not affect the Pels’ ability to give Zion a huge raise.
Beal will also be 30-years-old, so the Pels could potentially just let him walk at the end of his deal after getting the last remaining years of his prime or re-sign him to a lesser deal if he wants to stay with a team that has a generational superstar on it.
By then, the Pels could very well be contenders for the title, so Beal may want to stay and try to rack up some rings with Zion and Ingram.
I am a big believer that the Pels should try to go for it during Zion’s rookie deal, as there is no guarantee that he will stay or that he will stay healthy over the long term.
Windows close quickly in the NBA, just ask the Thunder, who once had three future MVP’s on their roster but now look like a perennial G-League team.
New Orleans Pelicans: The free-agent choices are grim
People have been talking about this year’s free agent class for years but I am not sure why, as it really isn’t that great.
Yes, there are some big names but few of them are likely to change teams, as Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul both have player options that they are probably going to exercise.
The rest of the unrestricted free agents are guys like Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley, who are both older and worse than Beal and might make about as much money.
There just aren’t many impact free agents that the Pelicans have a realistic shot of signing, so if they want to make a big splash, it will have to be via trade.
There are some low-cost free agents the Pels could target for sure, but the group lacks many guys who have the right combination of age, talent and contract to fit on the Pelicans.
It might be true that the New Orleans Pelicans don’t need a guy like Beal, and trading for him may reduce their chances of keeping both Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball, but if the Pels want to speed things up, start a winning culture around Zion Williamson and set themselves up for the future, they should do what it takes to trade for Bradley Beal.