6 Most likely Pelicans to be traded during 2024 offseason
By Will Eudy
5. Jordan Hawkins
The last pick of the lottery from the 2023 NBA draft, Jordan Hawkins joined the Pelicans after two seasons at UConn, where he won a national championship in 2022-23. Joining New Orleans as a rookie this past season, Hawkins actually saw a decent amount of action in his first professional season.
Of course, it was not as much playing time as many fans would have preferred, especially the ones that saw a path to him contributing from day one. But 67 games played and 10 starts is more than most rookies in the league can claim this season.
The main barrier that prevented Hawkins from playing more in his first season was his defense. He was not yet ready to contribute at the defensive end, and this led to him earning time in the G League to get more reps and find a rhythm. His shooting ability was still valuable, and he shot right around league average at 36% from beyond the arc this past season.
There is still plenty of time for Jordan to figure things out, and that makes him interesting trade fodder for teams interested in a young guard. With the Pelicans trying to win now and being less focused on development of new players, they could seek to move Hawkins.