5 trades for New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson

5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson: Depth to the Charlotte Hornets

In most trade proposals for a top-three pick, the New Orleans Pelicans will be giving up either Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson. But what if they didn’t have to?

All the New Orleans Pelicans would be getting back in this deal is Scoot Henderson and Cody Martin, but keeping both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson in the trade would be worth it.

Henderson could lead the team’s core into the future, while Martin could help replace some of the wing depth they would be losing in the deal.

Meanwhile, the Hornets could make this trade in favor of planning for the future rather than rushing into the formation of a mid-tier playoff team.

Trey Murphy III has a ton of potential, as does Dyson Daniels, and both could break out into stars if given more freedom to play their games on a rebuilding team.

Plus, they would not only stay in the lottery of this year’s draft, but the two other firsts they would receive could have a ton of upside. Who knows how good the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks will be by the time the picks convey?

Charlotte may not make the playoffs right away, but their future would look mighty bright.

Potential starting lineups

Pelicans: Scoot Henderson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas

Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Trey Murphy III, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams