Pelicans: Have Hayes and Hernangomez made Adams expendable?

Jaxson Hayes has played two of the best games of his career for the New Orleans Pelicans in their last two and he is starting to turn heads.

Hayes probably had his best game as a professional against the Charlotte Hornets, notching 18 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in the win.

It was Hayes’ shot blocking that set the tone in the second half and made the difference as the Pels were able to hold on.

Hayes had 19/8/3 against Philadelphia in the previous game and is starting to show his immense talent more consistently since being re-inserted in the rotation after being benched. Hayes is now averaging nine points and 5.3 rebounds per game over his last ten, while showing much better footwork and positioning on defense.

Willy Hernangomez has been a solid backup all year and has shined in the starting lineup while Steven Adams has been out with injury.

He’s been averaging 10 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over the last ten, which had me wondering if the New Orleans Pelicans really need Steven Adams.

New Orleans Pelicans: Will the Pels trade Steven Adams?

If you had asked me whether the New Orleans Pelicans would trade Steven Adams a few months ago I would have laughed.

At the time Jaxson Hayes had been benched for poor play, Willy Hernangomez looked like a waste of a roster spot and Adams was one of the few Pelicans playing defense.

But with Hayes and Hernangomez stepping up, is Adams really necessary? He has improved the Pelicans interior defense this season, but the overall defense is still near the bottom of the NBA.

Hayes and Hernagomez aren’t making half of Adams’ salary combined, so if they could move off Adams they could open up some cap space that could be better spent on more important needs, namely a wing who can shoot or play defense.

This is not a knock on Adams, who has done everything he has been asked to do, but he seems like an expensive luxury for a team that has a lot of holes and not much cap space to fill them.

If you can get the similar production out of two low-cost players, it would be a big advantage in the Pels’ quest to improve this offseason.