The Pelicans were hoping to find luck in the NBA Draft Lottery once again, but instead they stayed put and got the 10th pick.
Obviously, it would have been nice for the Pelicans to jump into the top four, but this is a deep NBA Draft with a lot of prospects who could help the Pelicans.
But New Orleans already has a lot of young players and may decide that packaging a lottery pick to get a more proven guy might be the way to go, especially after Zion Williamson had a breakout season and Brandon Ingram showed he can consistently be the second guy.
Their best chance is likely to target a rebuilding team that has an unhappy player or a guy who doesn’t fit the timeline of their rebuild.
Three players immediately came to mind as possible trade targets for the New Orleans Pelicans with the 10th pick.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading for Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon is a guy I wrote about in detail here. I love him for the Pelicans, as he is a tough, talented player who can get you 20 points a game, shoot a high percentage from long range and play defense all over the perimeter.
If Indiana decides to blow it up, this would be one way to do it, as they would free up some cap space now and in the future while having the 10th and 13th picks in a loaded draft, plus another pick next year.
If the Pacers wanted a soft rebuild, they get a bench guard who can still contribute in Bledsoe (he’s not a NBA starter), they’d have two picks in a deep draft plus another one next season.
They could use all of that draft capital in a lot of ways and with the right picks, be back in the playoffs next season.
The Pelicans get a talented and versatile player who is still in his prime and helps fix a lot of their glaring holes.
I’m not sure if this is enough to get Brogdon, as Indiana would probably prefer one of NOLA’s younger players instead, but if the Pelicans had to throw in Kira Lewis Jr. to make this work, they’d probably still consider it.
Pelicans: Trading for Coby White of the Chicago Bulls
Coby White probably didn’t progress as much as the Bulls would have liked after a promising rookie season, but he has shown he can be a dynamic scorer who can have huge nights.
I especially like him off as a reserve, as he can absolutely be that “instant offense” type scorer the Pelicans lacked from their bench.
This one would obviously rely on a whole lot of moving parts, as the Pelicans are absorbing White’s contract and would need the cap space to do so.
The good news is that White isn’t making much, which is part of the appeal, but that’s also one of hate reasons the Bulls might not want to give him up.
There would have to be someone the Bulls really liked at that spot, but they lost their potential pick to Orlando in the Vucevic trade, so don’t have a first round pick.
The Pelicans would get a guy who they know can come off the bench and get buckets and he is signed for two more seasons at $5.8 and 7.4 million. The Pelicans would be banking on more improvement from him and that he would thrive in a bench role and give them a lot of value for that investment.
If he did, he’d be a bargain at that price.
New Orleans Pelicans: Trading for Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers
It’s really hard to say what it would take to get Sexton or if he is a great fit with the Pelicans. Some of Sexton’s teammates reportedly didn’t like the way he dominated the ball and Sexton has never been one to shy away from his critics.
He does dribble too much at times, but he is also a dynamic and efficient scorer who put in 24 points per game.
He would give the Pelicans another legit scoring option, though like I said, there is some question about his fit with Zion Williamson. There is also the question of what it would take to get him, as I don’t think the 10th pick alone would be enough to get it done. Would the Pelicans be willing to throw in one of their young players?
The Cavaliers get a young guard from the same draft class as Isaac Okoro plus the 10th pick in the draft to go along with the 3rd pick they already have.
This would give them a really good young core who are all the same age and if the Cavs could find a way to move Kevin Love, their rebuild would be well on its way.
Sexton is basically what the Pelicans hope Kira Lewis will become, though Lewis did show some signs, played solid defense and took care of the ball in his rookie season.
The appeal of Sexton is that he gives you low-cost production at $6.3 million for one season but after that you have to pay him, so this might be too much to give up for a guy who could essentially be a one year rental.
If the Cavaliers would do it straight up for the 10th pick, I think the Pelicans would have to consider it, but otherwise it’s a tough sell for a guy who might not be the best fit.
I do expect the Pelicans will explore all options when it comes to trading the 10th pick in the NBA Draft.