1. Solomon Hill
Solomon Hill was brought to New Orleans on a four-year, $48 million deal in the summer of 2016, or as it’s come to be known as, the summer of spending.
Like many teams that went wild with cash at that time, the Pelicans have unfortunately been forced to pay for a production level that doesn’t come close to living up to the contract.
Halfway to the end of his agreement, Hill still has about $26 million left on his deal, a sum the Pelicans would love to have in their back pocket in order upgrade various parts of their roster.
Depending on circumstances, there are always teams looking to take on extra salary, but in return they’d also like to be compensated, likely with a first round pick.
New Orleans’ front office may not want to part with what it believes is a valuable asset, but if they’re hell-bent on keeping The Brow in town for the next half decade, they might want to do almost anything necessary to get the money to do so, which would involve strapping something to Hill and his deal in any trade scenario.