Pelicans: Pros and cons of a sign-and-trade of Josh Hart for Buddy Hield

The New Orleans Pelicans have already had a busy offseason but they still have some loose ends to tie up, including Josh Hart.

Hart is a restricted free agent, and we hadn’t heard much about him this offseason until yesterday, when several outlets reported that the Pels had discussed a sign-and-trade of Hart to the Kings for Buddy Hield:

The Pelicans still have the cap space to sign Hart or another free agent like Lauri Markkanen, but seem to be waiting for the market to settle down before making their move.

This deal was reportedly discussed around the NBA Draft, so there is no telling if it is still on the table, but it does offer some interesting possibilities, as well as some pros and cons.

Pelicans: Buddy Hield is a much better shooter than Josh Hart

Pro: The most obvious benefit of doing a sign-and-trade of Josh Hart for Buddy Hield is that Heild is a far superior shooter and scorer in general.

Hield shot over 39 percent from 3-point range on a whopping 10.2 attempts per game last season, accuracy and volume that rank him among the league’s best shooters. Josh Hart took a step backwards last season, shooting just 32 percent on four attempts per game, worst of his career.

If you want to look at the types of players to add around Zion Williamson, then a guy who can spread the floor like Hield is pretty much it.

The Pelicans should already have improved 3-point shooting with the additions of Jonas Valanciunas and Trey Murphy III, who shot the lights out in his first Summer League game, but adding another weapon like Hield could give the Pelicans the best offense in the league.

Defenses would pay dearly for double and triple teaming Zion, as they did all last season, as he would now have multiple weapons on the perimeter.

From an offensive standpoint, this would be a massive win for the Pelicans, but there are some cons as well.