The New Orleans Pelicans have made some changes to their roster but I don’t think any reasonable person considers them a contender to win the NBA championship.
The Pelicans are not favored to even make the playoffs according to most sports books and their odds of winning a title are long shots to say the least.
This is a young team and even though they have a superstar in Zion Williamson, it will take time to grow into a contender.
The question is how much time? Pelicans’ fans are getting restless and the predictable rumblings of Zion wanting to leave New Orleans are already finding their way into (mostly New York’s) media.
That’s why it is important that the Pels start making some strides towards the ultimate goal of winning an NBA title.
I think the Pelicans have improved this offseason and will take the first important step towards title contention.
New Orleans Pelicans: Step 1-Make the playoffs in 2021-2022
Young team or not, it will be a disappointment if the Pelicans don’t at least make the play-in tournament this season.
It is not going to be easy, as the Western Conference is very good, but a team with Zion Williamson shouldn’t miss the playoffs three years in a row and there are a few teams they might be able to overtake to at least get into the 10th position.
Step 2: Add a third star and get deeper into the playoffs in 2022-2023
The Pelicans don’t have any bad contracts and they have a ton of young talent and draft assets, so there is a big move out there for them to make. The Pels still have a big trade exception and can go into the season with the roster they have and see which star player becomes available.
They should be able to add one at the trade deadline or next offseason, which will prime them to make a deeper run into the playoffs, getting their young team valuable reps for the next step.
Step 3: Contend for an NBA title in 2023-2024
After adding a third star and getting internal improvement from guys like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Pelicans should be in prime position to contend for a title. The landscape of the West will have changed, with some of the older players moving on and Zion Williamson will be ready to complete his takeover.
If the Pelicans work this right and lock up Zion Williamson to a max extension, they should be able to contend for titles soon and for years to come after that.
This might seem like a long way off but it takes time to build a championship-level team and the Pelicans have a reasonable path to get there.