New Orleans Pelicans: 3 goals for the final stretch of the season

The New Orleans Pelicans have not had a season that they would like to remember. Despite having the standout pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson, they are still on the outside looking in at the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Prior to the start of the season, they were involved in a four-team trade that had two parts for the Pelicans. Firstly they traded  Zylan Cheatham, Joshua Gray, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams, and two second-round picks to the OKC Thunder. In return, they received big man Steven Adams on an expiring deal. They then signed him to a two-year extension.

The other part of the trade was to send Jrue Holiday and Sam Merrill to the Milwaukee Bucks. In return, they received Eric Bledsoe and four future first-round draft picks. While they did not upgrade their point guard position, they started to look after their future with the draft picks.

The New Orleans Pelicans made a mistake not moving Lonzo Ball

The Pelicans had a chance to move point guard Lonzo Ball at the deadline but could not find a suitor willing to give up enough to satisfy them in return. As a result, if they want to keep him, they will need to match any offer sheet that Ball signs in free agency.

The problem with that is that Ball is going to get paid this offseason. This means that the Pelicans will not match as it will put them back into the luxury tax threshold for the second straight season. As a result, the Pelicans are going to lose a quality player for nothing.

Even after all these moves, the Pelicans still have lots of work to do. Here are three goals for down the season’s stretch.