Pelicans Options To Pluck Talent Off Western Conference Rivals

The New Orleans Pelicans' best options to pluck talent off Western Conference rivals comes from other playoff teams.

Author:
Chris Dodson
Jun 4, 2022 6:19 PM EDT

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The New Orleans Pelicans' best options to pluck talent off Western Conference rivals comes from other playoff teams. The Pelicans are $29 million over the salary cap but do have room to maneuver under the luxury tax floor. In fact, only six teams have cap space going into the offseason: the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The market will be suppressed because almost every team’s salary cap is committed. It’s a good market for New Orleans to shop in. The 2022 NBA free-agent class consists of a lot of role players and a lack of top-end talent. Only a couple of lottery teams with cap space will make a move for a playoff run. Expect teams with extra salary space to look for extra draft assets to absorb contracts.

The Pelicans have a surplus of draft picks and room to make a deal. The Pelicans can operate on the margins in the trade market and still make some additions to the roster. New Orleans has the roster mostly set with a clear pecking order in the rotations going into the NBA Draft. They just need to find the right addition to the locker room.

Apr 5, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green and guard CJ McCollum (3) talk before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

What better teams to raid of talent than other conference playoff rivals reshuffling the decks?

Devonte’ Graham ($11.5M), Garrett Temple ($5.15M), Kira Lewis Jr. ($4M), and Jaxson Hayes ($6.8M) can be bundled with a Larry Nance Jr. ($9.67M) sign-and-trade to create enough room to add another starter-caliber player to come off the bench. The Pelicans also have a $6.3 million trade exception to squeeze one more player in under the luxury tax. Will they find a deal with a Western Conference rival looking to save money, or perhaps placate an aging star?

Targeting Western Rivals Talent

Teams picking in the lottery do not have much playoff talent, by definition. Christian Wood (Houston), Harrison Barnes (Sacramento), Ty Jerome (Oklahoma City), and Kendrick Nunn (LA Lakers) are second-tier talents on the market at best. Getting Robert Covington only did so much to move the needle for the LA Clippers in their brief playoff run.

Jose Alvarado steals the ball from Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul — Apr 24, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) steals the ball from Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half of game four of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

On the other end of the spectrum are the championship contenders the Pelicans are trying to chase down. The Golden State Warriors have ownership willing to pay a championship-level luxury tax. They are back in the NBA Finals and unlikely to break up their core. The Phoenix Suns might lose out on DeAndre Ayton and JaVale McGee though.

Phoenix would ask for Jonas Valanciunas ($14.7M) in an Ayton deal but targeting McGee would bring better value. Ayton was played off the floor in the second round and will want to be paid a near-max contract. McGee knows his role well and would fit under every Mid-Level Exception threshold.

Play-In Possibilities

The San Antonio Spurs are stacked with young talent and have the cap space to get Popovich a roster worth of his Hall-of-Fame resume. They could offer a max contract to Zack LaVine to shake things up. Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Joshua Primo, Lonnie Walker IV, and Keldon Johnson will be valued on the trade market. Any deals with the Spurs will require some shrewd business.

Apr 13, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) blocks the shot of San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second half of a play-in playoff game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves have $23 million worth of space under the luxury tax to add talent to the roster. They are projected to be fighting for playoff play-in spots next season. The Pelicans hope to be well above that line. Getting on price on Malik Beasley or Josh Okogie covers the due diligence part of the job but does little to improve Willie Green’s rotations.

A trade for Damian Lillard is unlikely to follow the acquisition of CJ McCollum. However, Josh Hart and Jusuf Nurkic might be out of Portland judging by their recent social media activity. Nurkic has an injury history but he did anchor Portland’s Western Conference Finals run. The Pelicans know Hart well and could offer him a different, more fitting role than the one filled before being traded.

Collisions of Decisions

The Denver Nuggets have the reigning NBA MVP and a core of young veterans. Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, Bones Hyland, Monte Morris, Jamal Murray, Zeke Nnaji, and Michael Porter Jr. is a solid foundation not dissimilar from the Pelicans setup. The Nuggets are assembling a new front office. Will they see a contender in the making? Will Jokic signs a contract extension? Denver has some decisions to make and their new direction could let the Pelicans scoop up some roster gold.

Feb 17, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) dribbles against Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (13) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks might be forced into a sign-and-trade deal for unrestricted free agent Jalen Brunson. Dallas beat the Suns because Brunson outplayed his contract and he will be looking to run a team instead of working around Luka Doncic. Brunson would share the ball with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram but he would allow CJ McCollum to operate in his natural combo guard spot. A chance to chase a ring could entice Brunson more than a spotlight on a lottery squad.

The Utah Jazz are $11 million over the luxury tax line and still have to figure out the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell relationship. That could mean separating from Bojan Bogdanovic or Jordan Clarkson. The Pelicans seemingly have little use for Mike Conley or Rudy Gay despite their prior accomplishments. Going for Mitchell would be the win-now move of the NBA’s offseason.

Executive VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin said to expect a calm, quiet offseason. The market is set up for his prediction to be a smart bet but all it takes is one move to alter the franchise and the NBA’s contender landscape.