Options for the New Orleans Pelicans with their 2nd-round picks

The New Orleans Pelicans currently have three picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, one which will likely be the Lakers’ top-10 pick and two in the second round.

The New Orleans Pelicans struck gold in the second round last season, selecting Herbert Jones with the 35th pick. Jones is going to make the All-Rookie team and has a shot at making All-Defense as well.

The Pels would love to find the next Herb Jones, but they already have 14 players under contract for next season, so it is unlikely that they carry two rookies on the roster, and three is a huge long shot.

The Pelicans’ roster is on the verge of becoming very expensive, so the Pels would love to keep a pipeline of cheap talent coming in, but they also have limited roster space and second-round picks aren’t likely to make an immediate impact.

The Pelicans will have the 41st and 52nd picks in the 2022 NBA Draft and have several options.

New Orleans Pelicans draft: Option #1

Since the Pelicans don’t have roster space, it’s highly likely that their second-round picks will end up in the G-League.

Since that is the case, why not take flyers on young players or developmental projects from overseas?

The Pelicans don’t need these second-round picks to contribute, so they may as well take the youngest players with the highest upside and try to develop them in the G-League.

Guys like Leonard Miller (youngest player in the Draft) or Yannick Nzosa could be nice projects in that range.

2022 NBA Draft: Option #2

Since the Pelicans aren’t going to have three roster spots for rookies, they could decide to try and use their two picks to trade up in the second round or out of this draft altogether.

The 41st and 52nd picks aren’t going to net the Pelicans much of an upgrade, but if there were a guy in the late 30’s that they really liked, they could try to package their picks to move up a spot or two.

They could also trade out of this draft entirely, as there are teams that would offer them future second-round picks in exchange for picks in this one.

If the Pelicans feel they have enough developmental players right now, then trading out of the 2022 NBA Draft is certainly an option when it comes to their second-round picks.

Pelicans draft: Option #3

The final option would be to take the two best upperclassman they can find and hope one of them has a usable NBA skill and is ready to contribute.

This is also known as the “Herb Jones” method, as Jones was a four-year player at Alabama and came to the NBA ready to play.

The Pels could go for an older player in that range, maybe a shooter or another long defender who has a little more experience.

Jalen Williams, David Roddy, Hugo Besson and Keon Ellis are all names to watch for if the New Orleans Pelicans decide to go this route.