NBA Trades: Spurs steal OKC's Thunder in mock deal with Jazz and Pelicans

Would the New Orleans Pelicans agree to the deal?

After letting starting center Jonas Valanciunas leave to sign with the Washington Wizards, the Pelicans have been trying to fill a hole at the five. That hole was exasperated by the move they made to land Dejounte Murray, in which they traded their backup center, Larry Nance Jr., to the Atlanta Hawks along with two first-round picks and recent lottery pick Dyson Daniels.

While most expected them to acquire Clint Capela, that didn't happen, and they could instead turn to Walker Kessler as an option. The Pelicans have three first-round picks in next year's draft, with the Jazz apparently wanting two firsts for him.

Getting Kessler would give them a 22-year-old defensive-minded center who could anchor the Pelicans defense for years to come, especially if they move on from Brandon Ingram and start Trey Murphy alongside Herb Jones and Murray. Two firsts for a player who didn't consistently start games for the Jazz may seem like a lot but New Orleans probably won't have much use for those picks when they need a starter.

Kessler has upside and will be extremely cheap for the next couple of seasons, with him set to make just $7.7 million. With the Hawks seemingly unwilling to trade Capela for Ingram and the Cavs holding onto Jarrett Allen, the Pels don't have many options, with Kessler being the best one.