It may feel like it's been an eternity since the 2024-25 NBA trade deadline, but, in reality, it's only been two weeks. Since the New Orleans Pelicans traded away Daniel Theis and Brandon Ingram, we've had major league storylines emerge that made it easy to forget about the more tame moves that went down, like the Pelicans' salary dump of Theis's contract.
We've seen the early aftereffects of seismic shifts like Luka Doncic's debut with his new hometeam Los Angeles Lakers. We saw a highly controversial All-Star Weekend that introduced yet even more changes to the struggling showcase. Nearly all of the new aspects were poorly received, with many fans and pundits calling this season's All-Star festivities the worst in league history. We've seen major players like Victor Wembanyama go down with injury for the remainder of the year and Bobby Portis get suspended for 25 games for accidentally taking a banned substance.
All that to say, it's easy to forget that the New Orleans Pelicans even made trades ahead of the deadline, let alone the full details of the moves they made. At the time of writing, they've only played four games since the deadline. One of the players they acquired, Kelly Olynyk, has yet to make his debut for the Pelicans. The other has only taken the floor twice. But it's only a matter of time before the Pelicans and their faithful realize the gem they got in Bruce Brown Jr.
Bruce Brown Jr. will be a fantastic addition for the New Orleans Pelicans
When the Pelicans initially traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors in return for Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, and draft capital, I surmised that both veterans that New Orleans was getting back could be rerouted in the hours remaining before the deadline. Obviously, that didn't end up happening which could turn out to be a mistake from Executive Vice President David Griffin or a prudent show of restraint — we'll have to wait and see.
The reason I assumed that they would be out the door shortly is because of how positively impactful both Brown Jr. and Olynyk can be for a championship contender. Bruce Brown Jr. is a champion who proved his versatility and efficacy with the Denver Nuggets throughout their 2022-23 title run.
They've been sorely missing his presence ever since he joined the Indiana Pacers in free agency the following summer. He's a stout defender who can legitimately guard four different positions, capable of both sliding around on the perimeter with guards and wings and hunkering down in the post against even most big men. For the Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets, he spent a lot of time operating like a traditional power forward, oftentimes defending as their primary weakside rim protector and screen-setter.
The Pelicans don't have many defenders with Brown's malleability or prestige. They also don't have any wings with his particular offensive skill set. His biggest pitfall on that end of the court has always been his 3-point shooting. He's only hit 31 percent of his triples since leaving Denver, as opposed to his 36 percent mark with the Nuggets.
Still, even when he's not hitting from deep, Brown can still be a positive force on offense due to his off-ball activity. As previously mentioned, he's an excellent screener and can take advantage as a roller too, capable of making basic reads on the short roll and finishing strong at the rim or with his floater — one of the most underrated signature shots in the league. He's also one of the most relentless and intuitive cutters in the NBA, which was why he was so great playing off of Nikola Jokic and why he should be a great teammate for Zion Williamson and the rest of the Pelicans' playmakers.
Brown Jr. is on an expiring contract and will enter unrestricted free agency this summer, although the Pelicans did acquire his Early Bird rights in the trade. New Orleans chose not to flip him before the deadline for additional assets which suggests that they have plans to keep him around for the future, and he's reportedly open to re-signing with the Pelicans. He'll prove soon why he'd be a valuable long-term addition for the team.