New Orleans Pelicans: 3 trade possibilities for first round pick

3. Terrence Ross

The New Orleans Pelicans need severe help on the back end of their roster. Their bench plays the second-fewest minutes of all teams in the league, only behind the top-heavy Houston Rockets. The Pelicans’ bench is 20th in field goal percentage, 25th in attempted 3s per game, and 28th in total attempted field goals per game. Despite having the fifth-best defensive net rating among league benches, their fifth-worst offensive rating earns the team the 12th-worst net rating compared to other teams.

Unfortunately, the ceiling can’t get much higher for the team without a change in personnel. A swap involving Solomon Hill and Terrence Ross could be a big step in remedying this issue for the Pelicans. Ross, who is known for his reliability from deep and athleticism, is putting up career numbers this season. Through 46 games this season for the Orlando Magic, Ross is averaging 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 3-pointers, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 26.1 minutes per game.

There is no doubt he would be an immediate upgrade from Hill, who is shooting under 40 percent on the season and is only averaging 3.9 points in 20.9 minutes per game with the Pelicans. Ross’ ability to be slotted as a shooting guard would also give New Orleans a little extra flexibility in its lineups.

The money makes perfect sense for New Orleans, who would be able to shed the over $13 million due to Hill next season in exchange for Ross’ expiring contract. If things get rough in the offseason and the possibility of losing Davis becomes a reality, this would allow the team to retain its cap space. Attaching some protection, be it lottery or top-10, to the outgoing first round pick could help New Orleans mitigate its losses if their pick becomes more valuable than expected.