5 teams the Pelicans should target for a bench trade
Potential trades for the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets
DJ Augustin, Danuel House, Eric Gordon
If the Pelicans just wanted a veteran to hold down the bench unit as point guard, then old timer DJ Augustin is an option. He’s hitting 43 percent of his 3-point shots and knows how to run an offense, so he’d be an upgrade even at 34-years-old.
Danuel House has been waived, so the Pelicans could just sign him without giving anything up. At his best, House was a pretty good 3-and-D wing, but he is hurt right now and hasn’t played as well the last two seasons.
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Eric Gordon is not a guy most Pels’ fans would want back, but he’d be an upgrade at backup shooting guard right now and give them a consistent scoring option off the bench. He’d be the most costly as far as assets and also has extra years on his contract that the Pels probably don’t want on their books.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Mike Muscala, Kenrich Williams
Mike Muscala is a guy I have long wanted on the Pels, as a he is a 6-foot-10 forward who can shoot. He is knocking down 43 percent from long range off the Thunder bench, though he is only getting 14 minutes a game. He’s a guy who wouldn’t likely cost much and the Thunder are always looking for extra picks down the road.
Kenrich Williams is another former Pelican but he was actually a fan-favorite unlike Gordon. Williams brings some hustle and defense off the bench and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range this season. I am not sure he’d be much of an upgrade over Naji Marshall, though Marshall hasn’t shot the ball well in the limited minutes he’s played.