The New Orleans Pelicans need to add impact talent through the NBA Draft and could do so in several ways.
The Pelicans will have a lottery pick plus four picks in the second round, so they have the ammunition to either add a lot of young talent or make trades.
The second-round picks might be enough to move into the first round, but otherwise, they don’t have a ton of value, so the focus is really on what happens with the Pelicans’ lottery pick.
What are the New Orleans Pelicans lottery odds?
The New Orleans Pelicans have a 20.3 percent chance of moving into the top-four of the NBA Draft and have just a 4.5 percent chance at getting the number one overall.
There is a chance the Pelicans can move up, but statistically speaking they are likely to be choosing in the range of 8-10 in the NBA Draft.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t find elite talent in that range or use that pick as an asset. Here are three dream scenarios for the Pelicans in the NBA Draft.
The Pelicans find the superstar who drops
In nearly every draft there is a star player who drops in the NBA Draft for one reason or another. We’ve seen it with Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell to name a few.
If the Pelicans do end up drafting 10th, a guy like Davion Mitchell could be a steal and might end up a lot closer to Donovan Mitchell than many people think.
It’s a lot harder to find a star picking 10th than it is picking first but if the Pelicans don’t move up, they need to find the best player who drops.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels move up in the NBA Draft
Obviously, the best-case scenario for the New Orleans Pelicans is to move up in the draft and get one of the top-four picks.
There are four guys in this draft in Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green, who seem to have separated themselves from the pack in most people’s rankings.
If the Pelicans get lucky and move up, they would almost certainly just take one of these guys, as they would be potential impact talents that are on the same timeline with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
If the Pelicans got really lucky and moved all the way up to #1, I am sure they would just take Cade Cunningham and not think twice, but anywhere else in the top-four, I could see them using that pick to try and make a huge trade for another star.
A top-four pick might be just the thing the Pelicans need to get a guy like Bradley Beal or any of the other stars who might be available for the right price.
Moving up in the NBA Draft is the dream, and would be the quickest way for the Pelicans to get better.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels trade the 10th pick in a package for a veteran
Another scenario that would help the Pelicans improve is if they were to trade their draft pick as part of a package for a proven veteran.
If the Pels were to stay at 10, they might not be able to find a guy who will help now, and the last thing they need is another raw teenager who might not be good for a few years.
The Pels could package that pick for a guy like Malcolm Brogdon for example, which might be preferable to grabbing another rookie depending on who is on the board at the time.
I think this might be the most likely scenario depending on where the Pelicans end up in the draft, as they already have a lot of young and talented players and need some vets to balance out the roster.
The 2021 NBA Draft could end up being the thing that propels the Pelicans into the playoffs next season, whether they find a star in the draft or trade their pick for someone who is ready to play now.