With NBA free agency officially opening over a month ago, a ton of players still remained unsigned. The main reasons for this appear to be that most teams are waiting to see what happens with Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors. However, there's no real explanation as to why the Pelicans continue to wait around to use their final two roster spots, as they have no connection to the Kuminga Warriors situation.
New Orleans has the ideal free agent target still sitting unsigned in Amir Coffey. The 28-year-old former LA Clipper is someone I've been pitching to the Pelicans for months. He's someone I view as extremely underrated and can fill two needs, one being elite shooting, the other being wing depth for the Pelicans.
Despite having a career year for the Clippers last season, Coffey continues to be someone falling under the radar of most teams. Being a career 39.7% three-point shooter, he would be a perfect low-risk, high-reward player for teams to sign. At 6'8", he has the size and length that allows him to defend almost every position other than center. His height also allows him to be versatile offensively as Coffey has played the two-guard and both forward spots during his time in the league.
Last season in LA, he averaged 9.7 points and shot 40.9% from three in 72 appearances. On top of that, he was deadly from the corner last season, ranking in the 92nd percentile among forwards in corner three-point percentage.
New Orleans needs pounce before someone else does
It shouldn't be long before teams come to their senses and realize there's a 6'8" elite three-point shooting wing still sitting in free agency. Meaning that if New Orleans wants Coffey they should make their move soon.
The Pelicans' depth at wing is extremely scarce. Obviously, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy are incredible and elite-level wings, but outside of those two, the Pelicans' depth at that spot is really thin. Saddiq Bey is good and can be a good three-and-D wing coming off the bench, but if one of these three guys goes down, the Pelicans don't have any other options. That's why signing Coffey is the perfect addition.
At this point, his market is likely very dry, and New Orleans would probably be able to sign him on a minimum. Being able to get a player of Coffey's caliber for this cheap seems like a steal to me and would also help the Pelicans add some much-needed depth at the forward spots.
Hopefully, someone in the Pelicans front office comes to their sense and pushes for them to sign Amir Coffey. He would be a perfect fit and could help fortify their second unit.