The New Orleans Pelicans were naming a lot of noise before the NBA shut down in March. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were leading the team from the bunker of the conference into a position to swipe that eighth and final seed in the West.
It was good enough to earn them an invite to Orlando, but they haven’t done much since they arrived.
With Zion on some kind of minutes restriction and B.I. suffering from a shooting slump, they are just 2-4 since the seeding games began, and have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
With their failure to secure a playoff spot, you can probably expect a few changes this offseason. In an article by NBA Insiders on ESPN, they detail what some of those change might be…
Of course, with the Pelicans already a playoff contender, they’ll be tempted to shop for the next disgruntled All-Star to ask out. Could that be a player like Bradley Beal or Victor Oladipo?
That would reverse the Pelicans’ role, putting them on the opposite side of the table from when Davis forced his way out of New Orleans.
Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo might not be earth-shattering acquisitions, but they would definitely make a positive impact on the Pels.
Beal is one of the best scorers and long-distance shooters in the league. This past season, as the top option for the Wizards, he averaged 30.5 points and 6.1 assists on 45.5% shooting. Alongside Zion and Ingram, their offense would be pretty hard to stop.
Though Oladipo’s numbers are considerably lower, he’d be the safest bet for New Orleans. His low-profile personality would make him an instant fit in the locker room and he’d likely be more willing to sacrifice his own stats to let Zion lead.
The Pelicans really can’t go wrong with either player tho, especially considering how this season has ended for them. It will be interesting to see what they are able to do this offseason.
