What Pelicans Can Trade to Get Them into the Top 10 of the NBA Draft

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly trying to trade into the lottery in the 2026 NBA Draft. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said that they are "targeting a specific player in the top-10 range."

Who this player may be is currently unclear, but we know that Joe Dumars isn't afraid to aggressively pursue prospects in the draft. Another splashy (and highly controversial) trade, similar to the Derik Queen acquisition in last year's draft, may be in the cards for the Pelicans.

What could that trade look like for New Orleans?

What Do the Pelicans Have to Trade to Acquire a Lottery Pick?

The problem with this approach is that the Pelicans don't have too many assets that have top-ten pick value. In terms of veterans who have this type of trade value, the Pelicans only have Trey Murphy. There could be a bigger trade package involving Murphy where the Pelicans get more in addition to a top-ten pick in return for their coveted sharpshooter.

Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, and Saddiq Bey also have some trade value. Perhaps a construction where the Pelicans send both Jones and Bey for a top-ten pick could be a possibility. A really desperate team that is enamored with Jones could send the Pels a package that has value commensurate with a top-ten pick, but this seems unlikely.

It's also hard to imagine Williamson generating this type of interest around the league. There could be teams willing to give up a mediocre first-round pick for the star power forward, but a pick with real upside, given Williamson's injury and contract concerns, seems improbable.

Only if the Pelicans get back a very unfavorable contract in return for Williamson, this could be a possibility. A Bulls package where the Pelicans get back Patrick Williams and the No. 15 pick in the draft could have some legs. Whether the 15th-overall pick would be enough to land the Pelicans the prospect they are targeting is another question.

Perhaps the more likely scenario is the Pelicans giving up a future first-round pick, as they did in the Queen trade last summer, for a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

There is no need to rehash that trade for the millionth time, as it's fairly clear that it was a disastrous decision by Dumars & Co. That doesn't mean that the front office has learned its lesson.

For example, would the Pelicans offer a future unprotected first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for their No. 12 pick? OKC has two first-round picks in the draft and may not have the ability or the interest to add two more rookies to their already extremely deep roster. They might rather bet on the Pelicans' incompetence and try to land a top pick in the future.

There may be other teams in the lottery willing to give up their picks for a chance to own an unprotected Pelicans first-round pick in the next couple of years.

This would be ill-advised given where the franchise is at the moment, but it certainly shouldn't be ruled out.

For Pelicans fans, none of these options is particularly appealing. Whether they would prefer to trade Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey for a top-ten selection or their pick in next year's draft is in the eye of the beholder, but they would be right to have little trust in Dumars & Co., regardless.

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