New Orleans Pelicans: The NBA’s investigation into the Pels is a joke

Every year when free agency opens there are a flurry of deals that get announced almost immediately which was the case when the New Orleans Pelicans orchestrated a sign-and-trade of Lonzo Ball to the Chicago Bulls.

This deal was announced almost immediately, which apparently drew a few red flags from the NBA.

It is an open secret that all teams negotiate these deals before they are technically allowed to, which is why Shams and Woj have information in less time than it would take for a player to actually sign his name to a contract.

But the NBA is trying to crack down on this for some reason (no one knows why they care really) and is apparently going to make an example of the New Orleans Pelicans according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

This is an absolute joke for a couple of reasons.

The NBA’s investigation of the New Orleans Pelicans is silly

The first reason this investigation is stupid is that the Pelicans and Bulls were ironing out this deal way back at the trade deadline, as the Bulls clearly made getting Ball their priority.

They weren’t able to work out a deal, but they surely set up the parameters of one, so it likely didn’t take long, as both teams were well aware what the other was willing and able to give up in a trade.

The second reason is that literally EVERY TEAM in the NBA does this, evidenced by the fact that news is leaked the second after free agency opens.

So all of those other teams were able to negotiate intricate financial deals in five seconds? Got it.

If the New Orleans Pelicans tampered, then so did every other team that signed free agent or made a trade in the opening seconds of free agency.

This investigation is a joke, but just adds another layer of drama to the Pelicans’ already drama-filled offseason.