The New Orleans Pelicans have not had the two seasons they intended after they won the lottery and were able to select Zion Williamson. Unfortunately, his first NBA action was delayed until late in the season due to a knee injury, meaning that the team they had built to put around him was missing their key components.
Then last season the Pelicans missed the playoffs again, leading to some rumors that Williamson is not happy and might be looking to get out as soon as possible. Part of the reason they finished lower than they should have was that all their key players, with the exception of Eric Bledsoe, missed more than 10 games. The lack of results cost first-year head coach Stan Van Gundy his job.
The New Orleans Pelicans have had two disappointing seasons since they drafted Zion Williamson. Here are 5 offseason roster moves they need to make.
It is not as though the Pelicans are not trying to improve their team. They made multiple moves last offseason to try and move the team forward. However, some of them left fans and analysts scratching their heads a little, the Steven Adams move is a case in point.
The Pelicans sent out Zylan Cheatham, Joshua Gray, Darius Garland, Kenrich Williams, Sam Merrill, and Jrue Holiday. They received Adams and a first-round pick in the four drafts from 2024 to 2027. This includes the right to swap the 2024 and 2026 picks. The Pelicans then doubled down on Adams, signing him to a two-year contract extension.
The Pelicans then sent Nicolo Melli and J.J. Redick to the Dallas Mavericks, receiving Wesley Iwundu, James Johnson, and a 2021 first-round pick. They appear to have won this trade but it did not move them up the standings.