After a disappointing season, the New Orleans Pelicans may jettison the No. 10 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft in order to bring in someone more experienced.
“The Pelicans already have so many young guys, and people around the NBA are expecting them to move this pick for some veteran help, according to league sources,” wrote Zach Harper of The Athletic.
Coming into this season, many expected the Pelicans to at least challenge for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The squad boasts the services of 2019-20 All-Star Brandon Ingram and second-year star Zion Williamson.
Unfortunately, the team never really gelled under new head coach Stan Van Gundy and didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament.
The main culprit was defense, as New Orleans finished just 22nd in defensive rating.
As one of the youngest teams in the NBA, they could greatly benefit from a couple of veterans who have been to the postseason before. It is axiomatic in pro basketball that you cannot win with young players alone.
One of the few veterans on the team with playoff experience, J.J. Redick, will be a free agent this summer and may choose to go elsewhere.
