The New Orleans Pelicans have started 9-6 this year, and are currently in the 5th seed in the Western Conference. They are definitely a very good team with Zion Williamson back in the fold, and they are widely considered to be a dark horse Western Conference Finals contender.
- The Pelicans Need To Trade Brandon Ingram For Kevin Durant
- Victor Wembanyama Could Become A Pelican If The Team Keeps Their 2023 Pick
- The New Orleans Pelicans Would Have An Experienced Superstar Flanked By Two Young Superstars
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Though the team is good right now, they could potentially become even better. The team has a number of tradeable players/picks that they could package together for a superstar. Notably, the team also has the Lakers’ picks for the foreseeable future, which means they have a chance to make another lottery pick this season as the Los Angeles Lakers are a poor team.
In this article, we will examine how the New Orleans Pelicans can create a superteam for the foreseeable future, and dominate the NBA. Though a number of things would have to go right for them for this to happen, there is definitely a chance that the Pelicans could have a superteam by the end of the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Pelicans Need To Trade Brandon Ingram For Kevin Durant
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Kevin Durant
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Brandon Ingram, 2027 First-Round Pick (NOP), 2027 First-Round Pick (MIL), 2029 First-Round Pick (NOP)
Let’s get this out of the way: Brandon Ingram is a fantastic basketball player. He is one of the best two-way wings in the league, capable of efficient shot creation, 3PT shooting, and perimeter defense. He is also a fantastic playmaker at the SF position. This season, Brandon Ingram has averaged 20.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 4.3 APG for the New Orleans Pelicans, while shooting a blistering 50.0% from beyond the arc.
However, if Kevin Durant were to become available, then the New Orleans Pelicans should consider making a deal for the superstar that involves Brandon Ingram. Kevin Durant is a bonafide superstar, and he and Zion Williamson would make up a lethal duo in the Western Conference. The team would also be able to retain veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and CJ McCollum, as well as other young talents such as Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones in this scenario.
The New Orleans Pelicans would likely have the best offer on the table if they were to offer up Brandon Ingram in a Kevin Durant trade. The Boston Celtics reportedly don’t want to give up Jaylen Brown in a deal for Kevin Durant, while the Suns’ offer featuring Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton wasn’t enough for the Brooklyn Nets to part ways with Kevin Durant this past summer. Thus, the New Orleans Pelicans are the logical trade partner.
Obviously, since Brandon Ingram isn’t quite as good as Kevin Durant, the New Orleans Pelicans would have to attach some draft compensation to make a trade happen. Our trade scenario features the Pelicans moving three first-round picks in the hypothetical Kevin Durant trade.
Though acquiring Kevin Durant may mean the New Orleans Pelicans will have a shorter window than they do currently with Brandon Ingram, their ceiling as a team becomes much higher with this move. Kevin Durant is an all-time great who has championship experience and is also better than Brandon Ingram at most aspects of basketball. While Ingram has definitely become an All-Star level player who can also perform at an All-NBA level in the playoffs, Kevin Durant is a proven player that can lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a championship in the future.
Victor Wembanyama Could Become A Pelican If The Team Keeps Their 2023 Pick
The New Orleans Pelicans are a contending team this year, and yet, they can still realistically acquire Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. Since they have swap rights on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023 first-round pick, they could end up being in the lottery again if the Los Angeles Lakers continue being a poor team.
Obviously, for the Los Angeles Lakers to stay a poor team, they would have to avoid making any trades for veterans that can help immediately. That is actually a realistic option, especially if no true difference-makers become available on the trade market. It was recently reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are unwilling to give up their two tradeable first-round picks to get Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, and that likely means that they won’t trade their picks for other role players, even if that helps their chances this year.
Not moving those first-round picks could also benefit them for next season, as the team will have max-contract space on top of two highly-valuable first-round picks. This would give the Lakers the flexibility to really make good moves around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and perhaps they could end up netting a star in the max contract slot and moving those picks for other impact players.
It is easy to see a world where the Los Angeles Lakers don’t make a move this year, especially since they only have one shot to make the right trade and build a competitive around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It was reported that they are waiting on a mystery player to become available to make a trade, but if that player doesn’t become available this year, then they could easily wait until the summer.
Due to all of these factors, it is quite possible that Victor Wembanyama could become a Pelicans player. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 14th in the Western Conference with a 3-10 record, and thus far, the Pelicans are clearly in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
The New Orleans Pelicans Would Have An Experienced Superstar Flanked By Two Young Superstars
The two moves mentioned in this article would give the New Orleans Pelicans a huge talent boost, and it would definitely help the team improve overall. Losing Brandon Ingram would hurt from a chemistry standpoint, but the talent level being added should outweigh that.
Kevin Durant is a legitimate MVP candidate and a top-tier scorer, and he would definitely help the New Orleans Pelicans compete immediately. On the New Orleans Pelicans, he would be surrounded by an elite core featuring a combination of young players and veterans, which in turn means that he’d be on a competitive team for a long time.
On top of having an immediate MVP candidate, the New Orleans Pelicans would also have two young superstars in Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama. That could ensure that they dominate the Western Conference for years to come, as Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama are both high-ceiling players that can become true superstars in the future.
Overall, making these two moves would be a good way for the New Orleans Pelicans to improve their roster. They would immediately become a top-tier team that is also set up for the future, and we’ll see if this scenario comes to pass going forward.
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