Amid all of the struggles for the New Orleans Pelicans, most of their roster critiques have been washed away. After all, it's hard to nitpick a team too hard when they're 4-18 and in sole possession of the last spot in the Western Conference standings.
Normally, that'd be because the culprit is purposefully trying to lose as many games as possible. In the Pelicans' case, however, it's due to their heaping injuries, with all of their absences making it practically impossible to properly evaluate the team.
New Orleans came into the season with some real roster holes, but those issues seem minuscule now when weighed against their place in the standings, all of the ravaging injuries, and the potential fallout from where they've ended up. Still, there are problems that the team will need to address regardless of what direction they choose going forward, including their shaky center rotation. Yves Missi could very well be a star in the making, but the Pelicans desperately need another viable center alongside him on the roster, and they may have a couple of targets in mind.
The Pelicans reportedly targeting a couple of different centers in the NBA
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto recently listed the trade targets on every single NBA team. For the Pelicans, he reported that, of course, Brandon Ingram should be on the move soon. He also dropped a surprise name for New Orleans, though, stating that CJ McCollum is viewed around the league as available for the right price.
That wasn't the only news about the Pels from his piece, though. Scotto also mentioned that New Orleans was inquiring into the Atlanta Hawks' Clint Capela in the offseason. He stated that they ultimately dropped their pursuit after they decided on Yves Missi, however.
The Hawks are a middling team that's trying to make a push for the playoffs. Capela is their starting anchor, so he may not be available, but his usage has been decreasing in Atlanta. They have a young replacement ready for a larger role in Onyeka Okongwu, as well as another veteran presence in Larry Nance Jr., so they could afford to move Capela if they felt fit. As an aging, injury-prone expiring contract, though, it's highly unlikely that the Pelicans will continue their pursuit after how this season has started.
Scotto did mention a different target for New Orleans that would make sense regardless of how the rest of the season goes. He noted that the Pels are monitoring the Brooklyn Nets' Day'Ron Sharpe. The former 29th-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Sharpe has struggled to carve out a niche for himself in the league but has shown flashes of promise.
Sharpe brings some redundancy with Missi as a high-motor, non-shooting five-man who's a bit undersized. At this stage in his career, he doesn't bring much on offense outside of standard rim-running and point-blank finishing, although he has shown some decent passing vision for a center and can generate second chances as a rebounder. His work on the glass has to be his best selling point. Sharpe shouldn't command much back in a trade and could be a nice, cost-controlled player to fill out the Pelicans' depth moving forward, as he'll hit restricted free agency this summer.