When Marc Stein reported that the Dallas Mavericks were looking to trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper, my first thought was how great a fit he would be for the Pelicans.
New Orleans' roster is deep, but it is lacking a true point of attack defender off the bench, something Prosper could be for them. At 23 years old, he also fits both the Zion Williamson timeline and the Jeremiah Fears/Derik Queen timeline.
With O-Max being drafted in the first round just two years ago, I assumed there would be a decent trade market for him, but I guess I was wrong.
After not being able to find a suitor, the Mavericks waived Prosper, and he signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies were one of several teams looking to trade for Prosper earlier in the offseason. Dallas decided to move on from Prosper to sign Dante Exum.
Obviously, losing out on Prosper isn't the end of the world, as he isn't some All-Star caliber player. However, New Orleans needs all the help it can get defensively, and with an open roster spot, I don't see why they wouldn't offer him a contract.
His averages last season don't jump off the page, at 3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while playing 11.2 minutes a night. That being said, the flashes he's shown as a Swiss-army knife type of wing should've had Joe Dumars intrigued.
The Pelicans' loss of Prosper stings a bit more because he signed with a division rival in the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies already have a plethora of versatile wings and O-max now adds to that.
The Pelicans still need to fill this hole
With the free agency market not getting any better, New Orleans may have missed out on a golden opportunity by not signing Prosper. He could have come in and filled the Pelicans' biggest need, which is a point of attack defender off the bench. Instead, the front office will have to settle for less intriguing options.
When looking at players left in free agency that fit the point of attack defender role, options are limited. Guys like an aging Torrey Craig, Maxwell Lewis, and Cam Reddish are the next best options for the Pelicans. All three of these guys are decent defenders, but may not even be worth giving a contract to if you're New Orleans.
Given the limited options in free agency, it may be best for the Pelicans' front office to enter next season without addressing this need and instead look to the trade market during the season.