Should the Pelicans be patient or go for it with a big trade?

The argument for a “win now” mentality for the New Orleans Pelicans

Championship windows open and close quickly in the NBA, ask the OKC Thunder, who once had three future MVP’s in their starting five and went from title contender to cellar dweller in two seasons.

They haven’t sniffed the playoffs since.

The argument for going for it now comes down to the availability of Zion Williamson. He is a generational talent when healthy but are you really counting on that? How about three years from now? Five?

The Pelicans may have a short window of opportunity with the Williamson/Brandon Ingram pairing when you consider their injury histories.

Also, the Pelicans have veterans CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas under contract for two more seasons. This could be the last chance for New Orleans to have two veterans like this while their young stars are still relatively cheap. Guys like Herbert Jones and Jaxson Hayes won’t be making relatively low amounts forever.

There is no guarantee that McCollum and Valanciunas will be in New Orleans past their current deals, which means the Pelicans would need to replace them with guys in the draft, free agency or trades. Those are all risks, especially when you consider the consistency of CJ and Jonas.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the sweet spot where not all of their young players are on their second contracts yet, which allows them the luxury of having veterans like CJ on max deals.

Because of health and the short time they have with CJ and Jonas, the Pelicans should use their young contracts and assets to make a bold move for a star.

But who would they target?