Pelicans: Way too early starting lineup predictions for next season

The New Orleans Pelicans made the first splashy trade of the offseason, sending Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams and the 10th pick to the Grizzlies for Jonas Valanciunas and the 17th pick.

It was not only a move to get off of two players who were bad fits, but should also open a ton of cap space for the Pelicans depending on what they do with their own guys.

I’d like to take a look at what their starting lineup might be depending on whether they re-sign Lonzo Ball or go for a big name free agent instead.

Let’s start with the first scenario.

New Orleans Pelicans: Possible starting lineup with Lonzo Ball

The Pelicans have mercifully jettisoned Eric Bledsoe, which should open up more minutes and opportunities for some of their guards.

Hiring Willie Green will also help, as he won’t be tempted to leave Bledsoe in the starting lineup as Stan Van Gundy inexplicably did for all of last season.

If the Pels re-sign Lonzo, here’s what their starting five could look like.

• PG: Lonzo Ball
• SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
• SF: Brandon Ingram
• PF: Zion Williamson
• C: Jonas Valanciunas

This lineup should not have as many spacing issues as the Pels had with Bledsoe and Adams, will be playing up tempo and should be much better from behind the 3-point line, though shooting would still be a concern.

Lonzo and NAW could potentially be great defensively, but their inconsistent shooting could submarine the Pelicans and still cause some spacing issues.

The lineup is more dynamic offensively than last season but would still likely struggle to get stops, one of the Pelicans glaring problems heading into this offseason.

But what if the Pelicans don’t re-sign Lonzo?

New Orleans Pelicans: Possible starting lineup without Lonzo Ball

If the Pelicans decide to use their cap space elsewhere and renounce Lonzo, then they could have as much as $36 million to play with in free agency.

This would give them a chance to sign a guy like Kyle Lowry or Chris Paul if they wanted to go that direction, or sign a couple of second-tier free agents to add depth. Let’s assume for a second they go with the first option and sign a guy like Lowry, suddenly their starting five starts to look pretty good.

• PG: Kyle Lowry
• SG: NAW
• SF: Brandon Ingram
• PF: Zion Williamson
• C: Jonas Valanciunas

This lineup offers more consistent scoring, better leadership and probably better perimeter defense as well.

If the Pelicans could get Lowry on a one-year deal, as he’s been doing with the Raptors, then the Pels won’t have risked anything long-term and may be able to get into the playoffs with this mixture of young talent and veteran savvy.

The New Orleans Pelicans could go in a lot of ways, with or without Lonzo Ball, but either way, their starting five will be better than it was last season.