With the NBA draft just five days away, it seems like all the chatter around the New Orleans Pelicans has been about them trading up for Ace Bailey. But according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Pelicans' interest in Ace Bailey has been "overstated" and that they aren't actively trying to trade up for Bailey.
This is a fascinating report. For a while now, it seemed like the Pelicans were in the hunt for the Rutgers forward, and while they probably wouldn't hate the idea of picking Bailey, it seems he isn't their target.
This has led some to point to Bailey's teammate, Dylan Harper. The idea of trading up to the 2nd pick with the Spurs is extremely exciting, and Harper is the type of franchise-altering point guard the Pelicans could be missing. But it's highly unlikely New Orleans is willing to give up the kind of return that the Spurs would want for No. 2.
This leads me to believe Joe Dumars and his staff have their eyes set on a certain freshman shooting guard out of Texas if they are to trade up. I am talking about Tre Johnson. If you're familiar with any of the pre-draft work I've done, I am a huge fan of Johnson and his fit in New Orleans because of his unreal three-point shooting and shot-creation ability.
This past season, he put on a clinic for Texas, averaging 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. He was also scorching from deep shooting 39.7% from three on 7.8 attempts per game. His three-point shooting is by far his safest trait, as he was routinely knocking down threes in a bunch of different ways: off the dribble, off the catch, and even pulling up in transition.
He is a very interesting prospect, especially regarding his projected range. Some mocks have him going as high as 3, while others have him falling into the Pelicans' lap at 7. This leaves the door open for New Orleans not needing to trade up to get their guy.
Why the Pelicans are interested in Tre Johnson
If I had to use two words to describe why the Pelicans like Johnson, they would be bucket getter. This guy just straight up puts the ball in the basket, whether it's on the fast break, coming down off a screen, coming off a cut or in isolation, he can punish you in every way possible.
Johnson was the entire offense for Texas in his freshman season and often had to take some tough shots. To his credit, he was still pretty efficient at 42.7% from the field. However, he will only become more efficient in the NBA, especially with a team like New Orleans that has scoring threats like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, and CJ McCollum.
Johnson isn't a guy with a ton of burst, though his tight handle and shiftiness help him create tons of space off the dribble. Defensively, Johnson isn't an elite defender, but at 6'5" with a 6'10" wingspan, he has the type of size that he'll need to defend other wings in the NBA.
Johnson's skill set gives him the ability to have one of the safest floors in this year's draft, well also having one of the highest ceilings, especially when it comes to scoring.
Whether the Pelicans get Johnson by trading up or he falls to them at 7, don't be surprised if they walk out of the draft with this class’s most dangerous bucket-getter.