Report: Pelicans willing to trade 8th pick for “win now compensation”

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a relatively quiet offseason so far, which is a good thing, as last year’s was filled with uncertainty and drama.

With 14 players already under contract and Zion Williamson returning to a team that made the playoffs without him, the Pelicans have a lot of options when it comes to the 8th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Pelicans can certainly just add another young talent to their roster, trying to set themselves up for sustained success while still putting a competitive team on the floor right now.

But they could also go for a “win now” move, and this offseason will likely come down to the decision to be patient or go for a big trade.

One NBA insider thinks it could be the latter and listed the New Orleans Pelicans as a team to watch in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Report: Pelicans willing to trade the 8th pick

According to NBA insider Marc Stein (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the teams that might try to trade their draft pick for what he called “win now compensation.”

Stein also named Washington and Portland as teams that might try to move their picks for a proven player and said that Memphis could try to use their two first-round picks to trade up.

It makes some sense for the Pelicans, whose roster is already full of young talent and doesn’t really need any more young players to develop. This pick may not even crack the rotation for the Pelicans, so getting a veteran who can help now would allow them to take advantage of the window they have with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.

But I can also see the argument for keeping the pick, as having a steady stream of cheap talent is how you are able to have three max contracts at the top of your payroll.

If the Pelicans do decide to trade their pick, they will have plenty of options.