5 potential trade ideas for the New Orleans Pelicans
2. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are contenders in the East and would typically be hesitant to give up roster pieces without receiving something in return that they felt helped their chances to make a run into the postseason. This trade could benefit both teams, however.
The New Orleans Pelicans would be acquiring a combo forward in Marcus Morris who is putting up the best numbers of his career in multiple categories and would help minimize reliance on players like Solomon Hill or Wesley Johnson to deliver meaningful minutes. Terry Rozier would be a great addition to the guard rotation and could combine with Jrue Holiday to make a tough defensive backcourt matchup for other Western Conference teams.
If Boston feels that adding an athletic big to the roster and clearing a little breathing room for other players to rekindle the success they saw last season, this exchange could be very likely. Despite Rozier facing free agency, the Celtics would most likely seek to bring back some future asset compensation for him, which means New Orleans would almost assuredly have to include a pick.
The only downside to this potential trade is that Julius Randle has been great for the Pelicans. The hope would be that any sacrificed offense would be compensated by a much-improved defense with these roster upgrades, as well as a little added depth.