Pelicans Can Land the Warriors' No. 11 Pick in the Draft With This 3-Team Trade

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly interested in acquiring a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. With only a week away until the draft, the Pelicans will presumably increase their efforts to trade back into the first round.

This may be easier said than done. Acquiring lottery picks can cost a ton on draft day, as the Pelicans experienced it first-hand last year when trading for Derik Queen. Especially for a team that is bereft of valuable future assets, both in terms of players and extra draft picks, this will pose a challenge.

Yet, we have seen how aggressive Joe Dumars can be when he has a player in mind. So, we could certainly see the Pels making a big swing between now and June 23rd.

One trade partner could be the Golden State Warriors. After agreeing to a contract extension with Steve Kerr, the Warriors will try to be as competitive as possible next season. Rather than drafting a rookie with their No. 11 pick, they may prefer to use it in a trade to acquire an immediate contributor or two.

This three-team trade scenario accomplishes that for the Warriors while giving the Pelicans the lottery selection they are looking for.

This 3-Team Trade Could Be a Win for Pels, Nuggets, and Warriors

In addition to the No. 11 pick, the Pelicans add Kristaps Porzingis through a sign-and-trade. If they give up Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey in this deal, they could pay Porzingis up to $21.4 million in annual salary. The veteran center will not cost that much after his health issues over the last several years, but he would be a very valuable player for the Pels when available.

Losing two valuable wings in Jones and Bey would obviously hurt, but this may be the only way for the Pels to acquire a lottery pick without giving up Trey Murphy or an unprotected future first. At least, they hit two birds with one stone here, adding a starting center along with the lottery pick they are looking for.

The Warriors, on the other hand, turn their pick into Saddiq Bey and Cam Johnson, who can both start for them right away.

The Nuggets also accomplish their goal of saving money by turning Cam Johnson into Herb Jones, who makes $8.1 million less. This way, they can create some cap space to re-sign Peyton Watson without getting worse on the floor. If anything, Jones can help them improve defensively, making them a more formidable contender.

It's difficult to know what the Pelicans are thinking as they try to trade for a first-round pick in this year's draft. Using Jones and Bey is just one of several ways the Pelicans can construct a deal that nets them a lottery selection. I will leave the question of whether this is the type of move New Orleans should be making, given where they are as a franchise, for the fans to decide.

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