If you are tired of watching this particular version of the New Orleans Pelicans, good news, you won’t have to wait long to see what could be a radically different team.
The Pelicans came into this season as a rebuilding franchise, but that didn’t stop fans from expecting them to make the playoffs.
These unrealistic expectations were largely due to the talent of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, two of the best young players in the game.
But David Griffin was unable to build a balanced roster around their talents, which wasn’t an easy task considering the challenges that came from a COVID-shortened offseason.
This offseason should be his first real chance to put his stamp on the roster and we could see a very different team coming into next season.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels aren’t far from being good
The Pelicans aren’t that far from being a good team but they still have some big holes.
They need another shooter to open up the offense a bit. They need more quality bench depth, as the guys they have have not gotten it done all season.
They need a backup wing who can defend, possibly a stretch-four to complement Zion and they need more defenders just about everywhere.
It’s not going to be easy to get all of that right away but with the right moves, the Pelicans could change the fortunes of the franchise in just one offseason.
The New Orleans Pelicans are going to try and follow the blueprint of the New York Knicks, who used some nice roster additions to bolster their defense and catapult themselves into the playoffs.
The Pelicans should have a very different team next season and are hoping for similar results.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels have a lot of choices to make
The New Orleans Pelicans will have some big decisions to make this offseason.
None of them loom larger than what to do with Lonzo Ball, who has went from a guy who looked like the perfect fit for Zion Williamson to one who might not be on the team next season.
The Pels could try to sign-and-trade Lonzo so he doesn’t walk for nothing but there is no guarantee he’ll be on the team one way or another.
He’s not the only one. Josh Hart could flee for greener pastures if he gets a big offer.
The Pels will certainly look to move Eric Bledsoe and might even attach an asset to make it happen faster.
Naji Marshall’s future is still up in the air, as is James Johnson’s, and the Pelicans are certainly not bound to Wenyen Gabriel or Wesley Iwundu.
Right now the Pelicans only have six players who are locks to be on the team next season in Zion, Ingram, Kira Lewis Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes and Steven Adams.
They will likely retain some of their own free agents and may not be able to find new homes for Iwundu or Bledsoe, but the Pelicans are likely to come into next season with at least 5-6 new players.
New Orleans Pelicans: NBA Draft picks
The Pelicans will have four picks in the upcoming NBA Draft and could use them in a number of ways.
They will likely be picking towards the back end of the lottery, so should be able to find some impact talent such as Corey Kispert out of Gonzaga, a guy who could be the perfect prospect for the Pels from this draft.
They will also have four picks in the second round, and though it is unlikely they will use them all, a guy like Jay Huff could be a steal for them as a stretch-four off the bench.
Could David Griffin use some of this ammo to move up in the draft or make a big trade?
There are certainly some big names out there that could be available and the Pelicans will have the firepower to make a splashy trade if that is what they choose to do.
The free agency crop is thin on stars that could help the Pelicans, but there are a number of cheap role players who will be available and might be fits.
Between the Pels’ own roster churn and what could be a big NBA Draft, the roster is going to look a lot different next season and will hopefully get more positive results.