The New Orleans Pelicans have a ton of people within their building that it appears are in make or break seasons.
Starting with Willie Green, who has been with the team for four seasons but has struggled to build a culture and establish a true style of play. Jose Alvarado is another name that comes to mind as the Pelicans' overwhelming depth at guard means Jose needs to have a big season to remain part of the core. People also throw the name Zion Williamson around, but because of his relationship with Joe Dumars, things would have to go horribly wrong for him to get traded.
The one guy who hasn't yet been mentioned is Jordan Hawkins, who, out of the bunch, may be on the thinnest ice out of these three. Hawkins was a college standout and absolute sniper for the UCONN Huskies, which is the main reason New Orleans took him 14th overall in the 2023 draft. However, since arriving in the NBA, J-Hawk has been an all-or-nothing type of guy; it feels like he is one of those players who either hits five threes and has 20 points or is 1-for-7 from deep and is a complete zero.
When looking at his skillset, it’s very obvious he’s a very one-dimensional player who doesn’t provide much outside of three-point shooting. Players like this are sometimes hazards to have on their roster, because if they are, like Hawkins often is, struggling at their specialty, then they have zero impact on the game.
When looking at the depth the Pelicans have at guard, unless he is adding more to his game or is going to be one of the league's best shooters, he could be traded by the deadline.
He isn’t a Dumars guy in more ways then one
One of, if not the biggest, factors in why I think Hawkins could get dealt is that he isn’t someone Dumars drafted. Similar to Willie Green, Hawkins wasn’t someone Dumars drafted or signed, but rather Hawkins is just a piece he is going to give a prove-it year to. We saw how easy it was for Dumaes to waive Antonio Reeves, who was someone the previous front office believed in, so who’s to say he wouldn’t do the same to J-Hawk.
He also isn’t the style of player Dumars typically likes to target or seeks out, going back to his time with Detroit, he has always looked for defense, versatility, star potential, and size. All of these thing Hawkins doesn’t have.
I’m not saying it’s a guarantee that Hawkins gets dealt, but if one of these younger players on the Pelicans were to get dealt, I feel it would be him.