The New Orleans Pelicans have a problem that most teams would kill for. Zion Williamson just became the youngest All-Star since LeBron James. Brandon Ingram is the reigning Most Improved Player Award winner from a year ago. It must be nice to worry about building around a once-in-a-generation superstar and one of the league’s best young scorers.
The Pelicans entered the All-Star break with a record of 15-21 — good for a disappointing 11th in the Western Conference. New Orleans had a preseason over/under of 36.5 wins, so their current record is a huge disappointment — especially in the wake of head coach Stan Van Gundy’s hiring. It’s led to trade rumors about multiple players on the roster.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a rising star in Zion Williamson, but they’ve underachieved so far this season. How should they treat the NBA trade deadline?
New Orleans has the assets to be active at the deadline in either direction. The question is whether or not they should be buyers or sellers. Executives say New Orleans could be buyers or sellers, depending on what direction the trade winds blow, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
Maybe the Pels should sell off some of their vets to see what they have in Kira Lewis Jr. Conversely, adding a vet to help Zion and Ingram make a playoff push right now has merit. Either way, executive vice president David Griffin has some tough decisions on his hands in a couple of weeks at the NBA trade deadline.