The New Orleans Pelicans need more shooters around Zion Williamson and there may be some NBA free agents that can help.
The Pelicans were 25th in the NBA in 3-point percentage this season as a team, and their offense became painfully predictable with two guys doing most of the scoring.
Lonzo Ball provided some of the shooting the Pelicans need but he is a restricted free agent who could end up as part of a sign-and-trade with a team like the Bulls or just sign with someone else outright if the Pelicans don’t match their offer.
Regardless of what happens with Lonzo, the Pelicans need more shooters to punish teams for collapsing their defense to try and stop Zion.
There are several free agent shooters who could be available but the New Orleans Pelicans can’t make the same mistake they made with J.J. Redick and overpay for a one-dimensional player in decline.
Here are three free agents and whether the Pelicans should pass or pursue them in the offseason.
New Orleans Pelicans: NBA free agent Norman Powell
I wrote about Normal Powell in more detail here.
He is the most complicated of the three because he has to decline his player option, which he almost definitely will, and he’ll likely be getting a big pay raise from the $11 million he is owed next season.
Getting Powell would largely depend on what the Pelicans do with their own free agents, particularly Lonzo and Josh Hart, who are both looking to make more money and may want a fresh start on another team.
If the Pelicans were to move on from Ball and Hart, Powell makes a lot of sense, as he is in his prime, can defend a couple of spots on the perimeter and is a lights-out 3-point shooter.
He’d be an upgrade who could move the needle for the New Orleans Pelicans.
VERDICT: Pursue
New Orleans Pelicans: NBA free agent Tim Hardaway Jr.
Unlike Powell, Hardaway Jr. is an unrestricted free agent, so the Pelicans could just sign him without any complications.
Hardaway Jr. is coming off one of his best seasons as a professional, averaging 16.6 points on 39 percent shooting from behind the arc.
He played well in this year’s playoffs even though Dallas lost, so he’ll be looking to get a raise from the $18.9 million he made this season.
In my opinion, Hardaway Jr. is a bit overrated and overpaid for what he provides. I think a lot of the attention he got during the playoffs was because of the poor play of Kristaps Porzingis, with Hardaway looking better in comparison.
But $20 million a year is a lot of money for a guy who doesn’t do much more than shoot 3-pointers, as he is not much of a playmaker or a rebounder.
This would be a gross misallocation of cap space for a team that needs defense a lot more than scoring.
VERDICT: Pass
New Orleans Pelicans: NBA free agent Doug McDermott
Like Hardaway Jr. McDermott is coming off an improved season and will be an unrestricted free agent.
McDermott averaged 13.6 points, (three fewer than Hardaway Jr.) on 38.8 percent from behind the arc.
Even though he is the same age as Hardaway Jr. and put up nearly identical numbers, one is considered a marquee free agent and the other a middle-of-the-pack one.
I don’t think either Hardaway Jr. or McDermott are worth overpaying so if some team wants to give McDermott $15 million a season, good luck to them and I wish them well.
But if they can get McDermott for something like 3 years/$27 million, I think that would be a bargain for a guy who has shown he can knock down open shots consistently. He has shot over 40 percent from 3-point range for his career and could be a weapon playing with two guys that demand double teams a lot of the time.
If the cost isn’t too high, McDermott would be a solid investment.
VERDICT: Pursue