After snapping a four-year playoff drought in the 2021-22 season, the New Orleans Pelicans took a step back this past year, getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament.
Zion Williamson’s inability to stay on the court has seriously hurt New Orleans’ ceiling. And while the rest of their roster is solid, anytime a team is missing an All-NBA caliber star, they aren’t going to reach their potential.
Now, the Pelicans may have to plan for two different timelines – one where Williamson is healthy and able to help them compete and one where they shift into a rebuild with long-term plans in mind. Or, the sneaky third option, a world where Williamson isn’t a part of their future.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, they may be planning for the latter, as he reported that the Pelicans are seriously pursuing a top-three pick in the 2023 NBA Draft in hopes of landing Scoot Henderson.
5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson
Adding Henderson to the roster would give the Pelicans a blue-chip prospect to build around, giving them the freedom to go in a bunch of different directions with the rest of the roster.
Should they trade Brandon Ingram to pair Henderson with Williamson moving forward? Should they trade Williamson to do the same with Ingram? Should they attempt to trade neither?
The San Antonio Spurs might as well have given their first-overall pick to the commissioner already, as it’s going to be Victor Wembanyana, leaving the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers as potential trade partners.
Let’s explore five different trades the Pelicans could make with those two teams in an attempt to land Henderson.
5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson: Brandon Ingram to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly looking to land a star wing to pair with Damian Lillard, so it makes sense for the New Orleans Pelicans to offer up Brandon Ingram in a deal.
Landing the third pick is the goal here, but getting Anfernee Simons would also be a great addition for the Pelicans. That being said, they would probably have to look to trade CJ McCollum at that point, as they would have a glut of guards.
However, a core group of Scoot Henderson, Simons, and Zion Williamson would be amazing for New Orleans’ future, as they would almost certainly pivot into a pseudo-rebuild.
The Pelicans have no need for Jusuf Nurkic, but in order to make the money work, he would probably have to be thrown into the trade.
For Portland, landing Ingram would immediately make them a more competitive team, as he would fit nicely alongside Lillard and the rest of their roster.
Getting Larry Nance Jr. back in the deal would be great for them, too, as they desperately need better options at the big man spot. Giving up on Simons and the third
This deal feels like both teams could be asking for more in the trade, but all in all, each team would accomplish its main goal.
Potential starting lineups
Pelicans: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Brandon Ingram, Jerami Grant, Larry Nance Jr.
5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson: Zion Williamson to the Portland Trail Blazers
What if the New Orleans Pelicans are done with Zion Williamson’s injury problems? Would they be willing to give up on him in favor of building around Scoot Henderson?
At his best, Williamson is a top-15 player in the NBA and a dominant force on the basketball court. At his worst, he’s nothing more than a $35 million cap hold on the Pelicans’ books.
Trading his elite upside in favor of more youth and draft capital could be something they consider, as the core of Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, and Brandon Ingram should still be good enough to compete for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, this would be a massive risk for the Portland Trail Blazers, but the upside would be incredible. If they can find a way to keep Williamson on the court somewhat consistently, or if he simply gets healthy, they will have a perfect co-star for Damian Lillard.
His paint dominance would pair beautifully with Lillard, giving him an elite lob threat and great secondary scoring option who, at his best, can be the number one guy on any given night.
Jusuf Nurkic and Larry Nance Jr. would remain in this trade for the same reasons as the previous one – matching salaries and giving Portland an answer at the big man spot.
Potential starting lineups
Pelicans: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Jonas Valanciunas
Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant, Zion Williamson, Larry Nance Jr.
5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson: Brandon Ingram to the Charlotte Hornets
If the Charlotte Hornets feel as though they are ready to compete for the playoffs, asking the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram in a trade would make sense.
Trading Ingram by himself for the second pick would be a solid deal for the Pelicans, who would get to reshape their roster around Scoot Henderson and Zion Williamson.
Getting back Gordon Hayward in order to match salaries would ensure that they keep up a solid forward rotation, and since he’ll be in the final year of his contract, New Orleans doesn’t have to worry about that, either.
As for Charlotte, this would be a nice way to solidify improvement.
For the past few seasons, the Hornets have been unable to get over the hump with LaMelo Ball and their current core. And in the 2022-23 season, they took a massive step backward.
However, with Ball on the roster and Miles Bridges potentially making a return to the court, they could be ready to push for the postseason. Ingram would undoubtedly help them do that, giving them a go-to scoring option.
The core of Ball, Ingram, and Bridges should be more than enough to help Charlotte make a run at the playoffs, and if Charlotte’s youngsters improve, they could do even more than that.
Potential starting lineups
Pelicans: Scoot Henderson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Brandon Ingram, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams
5 trades for the New Orleans Pelicans to move up and draft Scoot Henderson: Zion Williamson to the Charlotte Hornets
Keeping with the same logic, this deal would see the Charlotte Hornets push forward with their sights set on improvement, but this deal would be far riskier.
The package the New Orleans Pelicans would get back in this deal is very similar to the previous trade, but they would get a bit more value back, as Zion Williamson is (in theory) the better player.
Gordon Hayward would still help them shore up their wing depth, but in this deal, they would also receive Nick Richards, who would act as a nice backup center, likely replacing Jaxson Hayes in the rotation. He’s also on a solid contract.
Plus, in addition to Scoot Henderson, the Pelicans would add a first-round pick to their arsenal.
Rather than trade for the sure thing in Brandon Ingram, the Hornets could choose to ask for Zion Williamson. While his injury history makes him a risk, the upside would be much higher.
The pairing of LaMelo Ball and Williamson would not only lead to great results on the court, but the highlight-reel plays would make for must-watch TV, bringing the ratings to Charlotte.
Giving up on Henderson or Scoot Henderson in exchange for Williamson is risky, but it could be worth it.
Potential starting lineups
Pelicans: Scoot Henderson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Jonas Valanciunas
Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, Zion Williamson, Mark Williams
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