- The Pelicans are interested in adding a big man in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas
- The team’s targets are Jarrett Allen and Jonas Valanciunas
- The team needs more rim protection
The New Orleans Pelicans finished 9th in the Western Conference at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, a disappointing conclusion to the season given the talent that is currently on the roster.
Thus, it is understandable that the team is looking to make additions to the roster. A recent report from William Guillory of The Athletic revealed that the team is exploring deals for Jarrett Allen and Isaiah Stewart.
“There have been rumors of them exploring potential deals for Jarrett Allen or Isaiah Stewart, but nothing has materialized quite yet.”
Even though Jonas Valanciunas is a solid player, the New Orleans Pelicans don’t necessarily need his skill set. They need more rim protection and athleticism on the roster, and both Jarrett Allen and Isaiah Stewart provide that.
Jarrett Allen made the All-Star team during the 2021-22 season, and he is highly regarded as a lob threat and rim protector. However, he struggled during the 2022-23 playoffs, which is why he might be up for trade.
Isaiah Stewart is an intriguing option as a small-ball center, due to his physicality and floor-spacing ability. He did sign a four-year, $64 million extension with the Detroit Pistons this offseason, but he is still able to be traded.
It remains to be seen if the New Orleans Pelicans end up adding either player. Both players are good fits with the current iteration of the Pelicans, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
The New Orleans Pelicans Could Join The Damian Lillard Sweepstakes
Aside from an addition at center, it seems as though the New Orleans Pelicans could end up doing a bigger move. In fact, it was previously revealed that the Pelicans could be dark horse candidates to land Damian Lillard.
“It would be ironic to trade McCollum and Nance back to Portland since that’s almost certainly what this would entail to create a salary match,” Hollinger wrote. “There is a case to be made for kicking the tires on this, even though it’s not Lillard’s first choice. He’s signed for four more years, so his leverage is fairly limited. And the Pels can create a winning package with their future picks and young players; there is no question they can outbid the rest of the market.”
There is no doubt that the New Orleans Pelicans would have an elite big three with Damian Lillard’s addition. It’ll be interesting to see if they can land him, but they are definitely not the first choice in this situation, as Lillard wants to go to the Miami Heat.
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