New Orleans Pelicans: 5 offseason roster moves they need to make

New Orleans Pelicans offseason roster move No. 1: Get some value out of Lonzo Ball

There were a few players at the top of their draft class who were eligible for the rookie extension and did not sign it, one of these was Lonzo Ball. The good news for the club is that Ball is a restricted free agent. This means they can assess the market value for him and see if they are willing to pay it.

However, there is always the risk that they could lose Ball for nothing. As he came over in the Anthony Davis trade, this would not be a good idea, if for no other reason than optics. They would not want to lose a key piece of the trade that sent their superstar away for nothing, this means that the deal was not worth as much.

So, the Pelicans have a couple of options. They could pay the market value set by free agency, which they can afford to do if Ball signs an offer sheet elsewhere. This would not be the preferred option of the Pelicans.

What they would prefer to do is conduct a sign and trade with the agreement of Ball so that they would get something for him. The OKC Thunder did it last season with Danilo Gallinari. They only got two second-round picks out of the deal, but at least they got something. For a team looking to build, this is the mentality the Pelicans need to have.