New Orleans Pelicans: August 2nd is a key date for the Pels’ offseason
The New Orleans Pelicans are entering a crucial offseason for the franchise.
After missing the playoffs in Zion Williamson‘s first two seasons, the front office has to feel some amount of pressure to start building a winner.
Stan Van Gundy will be given some benefit of the doubt after this weird season but with a full offseason, Summer League and training camp, there will be no excuses for him next season and he won’t be afforded the luxury of patience.
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David Griffin can act cool, but he too is on the hot seat, as Pelicans’ fans want to see some of these moves he’s made turn into results on the court.
There are key offseason dates that are important for the Pelicans but none more so than August 2nd, which is when next year’s roster will start to take shape.
New Orleans Pelicans: NBA key offseason dates
The NBA Draft Lottery is coming soon (June 22) and the New Orleans Pelicans are hoping to buck the odds and get a top-four pick to add another impact player to the roster.
The NBA Draft will be July 29th, but unless the Pelicans get really lucky, they are unlikely to get a pick that makes a huge difference next season.
The really important date is August 2nd, which is when teams can start negotiating with free agents.
With both Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart in restricted free agency, the Pelicans are going to be a big part of the action when teams can sign players on August 6th.
August 2nd is when the Pels will start to get an idea of what other teams might offer for Ball and Hart and whether they want to match.
Some team like the Knicks could make a play for Ball and the Pelicans could end up being outbid if it comes to that.
Once decisions are made on Ball and Hart, the roster can start to take shape, as the Pelicans will have a better idea of what they need and what they should do with guys like Eric Bledsoe.
The New Orleans Pelicans are going to be active this offseason in free agency and likely trades, but it all starts on August 2nd when they sit down with their own guys.
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