New Orleans Pelicans: Chances of each Pels’ free agent returning

New Orleans Pelicans free agents: Lonzo Ball

This is the biggest decision that David Griffin has had to make in his short tenure as VP of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Give Lonzo Ball the max and he continues to be inconsistent and fairly average and it could set this team way back and hurt their chances of keeping Zion Williamson for the long term.

Let him walk and he blows up somewhere else and the Pelicans wasted a big chunk of the Anthony Davis haul and let a future All-Star leave for nothing.

Lonzo was all over the place down the stretch, having some monster games, then disappearing in the next one, then getting hurt yet again.

It’s fair to ask how his late-season injuries and inconsistency have affected his value to the Pelicans and other teams.

Have the Pelicans seen enough to pay Lonzo Ball $20 million per season? I am not sure, and to be honest, I don’t think they are either.

Part of me thinks Griffin is probably praying that some other team like the Knicks or Bulls makes a ridiculously high offer for Ball so that he can walk away without taking grief from the fans, but if someone else offers him around $18-20 million per season it is going to be a much-tougher choice.

I’ve gone back and forth on this one all season and am still not sure what the Pelicans will do but I am leaning towards both sides coming to a mutually beneficial agreement on a contract that is short and gives Lonzo Ball another chance to cash-in in his prime.

Chance of re-signing Lonzo Ball: 65 percent