We are officially in the dog days of the NBA offseason, with little to no news about free agency, and the only trade rumors we have are the Jonathan Kuminga saga, which continues to bore me. So I thought it would be a great time to look at a mock trade put together by Thomas Carelli of Sports Illustrated.
The mock trade sends LaMelo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans for Trey Murphy, Jordan Hawkins, Jose Alvarado, and a 2027 first-round pick.
Now, to me, that deal sounds abysmal for both sides. Why would Charlotte move its franchise point guard for one first-round pick? I don't see it happening that way if Ball were to be traded. And for the Pelicans, it makes zero sense to take on Ball without including either Dejounte Murray or Jordan Poole in the deal, as it would only clog the backcourt.
My disagreement with this mock trade isn't about the idea of the Pelicans acquiring Ball, but strictly just the package. My revised package would be Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Yves Missi, and a future unprotected first-round pick, either in 2027, 2028, or 2029.
This deal makes way more sense for both sides and would be way more enticing to the Hornets. They would get a placeholder at guard in Murray, they get a guard for the future in Fears, they get some size in Yves Missi, and a future piece of draft capital.
With Ball's injury history and the Hornets' disappointing year after year after year, if this season doesn't have some positive takeaways, he could be on his way out the door next summer.
This won't happen now, but it's something to keep an eye on
If you read my piece the other day about Joe Dumars putting this team in a win-win position, this is exactly what I was talking about. If the Pelicans have a good, healthy season next year, they are going to enter the offseason with a ton of trade chips they can use to upgrade their roster.
Trading for LaMelo Ball is a perfect example of that. Even though it would hurt to lose someone like Fears, who was just drafted, if you're getting a 24-year-old two-time All-Star, you do it.
LaMelo Ball, like Trae Young, is just another example of the type of player the Pelicans have the assets to go out and trade for.
I think we all know the Pelicans likely won't hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season. However, if this year does go as planned, the Pelicans may be one big move away from being real title contenders.