If this year's NBA playoffs have taught us anything, depth is more critical than ever. The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder have 10-11 guys they can trust in big-time playoff minutes. So, if the Pelicans plan on competing in the West, they need to add a true leader off the bench—someone who can come in and run the second unit. Many of us point to CJ McCollum, as he fits the mold of someone you want running the 2nd unit.
That being said, CJ has been involved in all sorts of trade rumors, and it seems he will be packing his bags soon enough. So, where does that leave the Pels? Well, they have a projected $5.7 million from the Taxpayer Midlevel Exception, which they will likely use to sign a backup center. But if they can find a cheaper backup option than $5.7 million, they should call Caris LeVert.
A resume that speaks for itself
LeVert has spent almost his whole career being a pure bucket off the bench. Starting in just under 43% of his 524 career games, Caris spends most of his time coming off the bench and looking to provide a spark. He is coming off a strong end to last season, as after being traded to the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline, he averaged 14.9 points per game on 48.2% shooting from the field.
The now 30-year-old could be entering a new chapter in his career—one where he isn't just another guy off the bench but rather the guy leading an entire second unit. LeVert has an incredible scoring touch and shot-making ability that fits the mold of a Sixth Man of the Year winner. However, he has never had a fair shot at being the actual number 1 off the bench, but with the Pelicans, he could.
I am just in love with his fit on the Pelicans. They really don't have an actual shot creator outside of Trey Murphy and Dejounte Murray. LeVert could be precisely what this group needs. His ability to have defenders puzzled as he drains contested shot after contested shot would be fantastic.
LeVert has many different ways he can attack on offense, whether through a collection of different floaters, midrange pull-ups, or turnaround jumpers. He is the definition of a shot creator.
His ability to be a playmaker also shouldn't go without being mentioned. For a guy who spent his whole career on the wing, having a career average of 4.0 assists per game is very impressive. His high passing IQ and ability to run an offense have been a sticking point for LeVert, making him way more valuable than other shot-creating wings.
The only flaw with his fit on the Pels is that Caris has never been a great 3-point shooter. With a career average of only 34.5% from 3, he may get overlooked by the Pels front office, as New Orleans ranked in the bottom 5 in all 3-point categories last season.
That being said, many guys had uncharacteristic seasons shooting the ball in 2024-25. Take Jordan Hawkins, for example, who has been a knockdown shooter his whole basketball career. he shot just 33.1% from deep last season. That's something that won't happen again
If the Pelicans can land a backup center in a trade or on a minimum contract, they should bring in Caris LeVert this summer. His impressive shot-making ability would separate him from the specialist the Pels have off the bench. Making LeVert something that this core has never had coming off their bench.