Pelicans Have Officially Lost Out on All the Good Centers in Free Agency

The New Orleans Pelicans have yet to make an addition to their roster this offseason. Other than re-signing DeAndre Jordan, the Pelicans have been frustratingly quiet. Not only have they not done anything in free agency or the trade market, but the buzz around them has also completely stopped.

This leaves them with a massive hole at center. Throughout last season, it became painfully obvious that the Pelicans needed to add a center this summer. Joe Dumars alluded to it in his end-of-season presser. More size, physicality, and rebounding were needed, and the Pelicans have done nothing to address any of these weaknesses.

To make matters worse, the center market has completely dried up. Free agency moves really fast these days, and if you don't grab the quality players within the first few days, you are left without viable options.

After Andre Drummond signed with the New York Knicks on Friday, that is exactly what happened to the Pelicans. There are currently no rotation-caliber centers left in unrestricted free agency.

Pelicans Have No Options Left in Free Agency

Before free agency kicked off, it looked like any of Drummond, Mitchell Robinson, Jaxson Hayes, Moritz Wagner, Nikola Vucevic, Mark Williams, and Day'Ron Sharpe could have been a potential target for the Pelicans. They all signed deals that New Orleans could have had the means to sign.

Now, the best remaining free agent options are Kevon Looney (who was made a free agent when the Pels declined his team option), Nick Richards, Drew Eubanks, Kelly Olynyk, and Kevin Love. None of these players is good enough to be trusted in the Pelicans' rotation. It's not even clear that they would be an upgrade over DeAndre Jordan.

In terms of restricted free agency, Jalen Duren and Quinten Post remain the only options. Duren is obviously not a realistic target. Post could be a decent alternative.

Post wouldn't solve the Pels' defensive concerns, but he is a good offensive center. He can space the floor for Zion Williamson and Derik Queen.

The problem is that the Pelicans could make Post an offer sheet for Post, but the Warriors have the right to match it. New Orleans would have to go up to a salary that Golden State is not comfortable matching, likely close to $10 million per year. Whether that would be the best use of resources for the Pelicans is debatable.

The fact that New Orleans failed to make this a priority when they have around $10 million in cap space is frustrating. Now, their only hope is the trade market. Because the rest of the league knows that they are desperate for a center, the price will increase for the players they are interested in. Once again, it looks like Dumars & Co. may have backed themselves into a corner.

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