This is the New Orleans Pelicans’ biggest need at the trade deadline

With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, it is still unclear whether the New Orleans Pelicans will be buyer, sellers or nothing at all.

The Pels are struggling to hang onto their hopes of making the play-in tournament, as they have been decimated by injuries and have dropped to three games back of the final spot.

Zion Williamson has been out all season, Brandon Ingram has missed time again of late and Jonas Valanciunas has also joined him on the injured list.

The Pelicans have lost three in a row with a shorthanded roster that is playing hard but just doesn’t have the talent to compete without their three best players.

New Orleans has built more of a defensive identity behind Josh Hart and rookies Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado, but are struggling to score points, especially lately, which makes their biggest need at the deadline easy to identify.

The New Orleans Pelicans need shooting.

The New Orleans Pelicans need a shooter at the trade deadline

Whether it is a blockbuster deal for a guy like CJ McCollum, an impact trade for someone like Norman Powell or a low-level deal for bench depth, the last three games have made it crystal clear that the Pelicans need to add a shooter or two.

They are 25th in the league in 3-point percentage and have been even worse the last three games, hitting just 25 percent from long range, which clearly cost them any chance of winning.

The Pels have scrapped and stayed close against good teams in their last three, but when you shoot 5-of-34 from 3-point range like they did against the Nuggets, or 8-of-32 like they did last night against the Celtics, you aren’t going to win many no matter how things went otherwise.

You can see the vision for this team at times, as they have their two star scorers (though we’ve yet to see them on the court together this season), some good defenders, solid role players and an inside threat, but they lack the lights-out shooter to go with them.

The Pels don’t have a real shooter on their bench and Devonte’ Graham has been less impactful without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram drawing double teams to create open looks.

But the Pelicans have been getting open shots of late, they just aren’t making them, and it’s unlikely that broke gunner Nickeil Alexander-Walker is going to figure it out anytime soon.

Whether the Pelicans fancy themselves buyers or sellers, they need to add shooting, if not at the deadline then certainly next offseason, as they are getting killed at the 3-point line in just about every game.