New Orleans Pelicans: 5 roster moves to make this offseason

3. Draft well

The Pelicans loaded up on rookies in 2019 despite only keeping Williamson from the three picks they had in last year’s draft. They received Hayes and Alexander-Walker in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. They also signed Melli to a two-year deal.

The Pelicans have four picks in the upcoming draft. Three of these are in the second round and are the 39th, 42nd and 60th picks. These can be useful as part of a trade package or picking project players. It is the 13th pick which will have the greatest impact on the court next season.

While the Pelicans are pretty well set at most positions in the short term, they need to start looking longer term. The Pelicans currently have four shooting guards on their roster, Holiday, Redick, E’Twuan Moore and Alexander-Walker.

Of this list, only Alexander-Walker is under 30. Redick is 36 and is coming to the end of his career. With that being said, the Pelicans should look at taking Aaron Nesmith with this pick. Standing 6’6″, he can play both wing positions, giving the Pelicans flexibility.

The other benefit to Nesmith is that he can shoot the basketball with the best of them. During his second year at Vanderbilt, Nesmith averaged 23.0 points per game. He shot the ball at 50.0 percent from the floor and 52.2 percent from deep.