Ranking Pelicans’ Top Trade Targets After 2024 NBA Playoff Loss

Ranking Pelicans’ Top Trade Targets After 2024 NBA Playoff Loss0 of 3

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The 2023-24 NBA season was supposed to produce something more than this for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Despite keeping Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram mostly healthy during the regular season, the Pels still couldn’t climb the Western Conference ladder the way they wanted. They flirted with 50 wins, but didn’t actually hit the mark. They managed to escape the play-in tournament, but they were swiftly knocked out of the opening round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

So, now a summer of possible soul-searching begins, as the Big Easy ballers attempt to plot a path toward more productive seasons down the line. This club could (and arguably should) get active on the trade market, and if it does, the following three players loom as logical targets.

3. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks1 of 3

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While New Orleans has squeezed a decent amount of playmaking out of the Williamson-Ingram-CJ McCollum trio, it might benefit this bunch to have a true floor general leading the way.

This club was a mess in major moments this season. The Pelicans ranked 24th in clutch efficiency, per NBA.com, and their typically ignitable attack was largely to blame. They managed a meager 101.5 points per 100 possessions, which was the league’s fifth-worst mark.

An offensive organizer could help get all the puzzle pieces into place. New Orleans discussed a Dejounte Murray at the deadline, and while those talks fell apart, it hardly feels like that door is closed. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, it is “likely” the Atlanta Hawks trade either Murray or Trae Young this offseason.

Young has better numbers, but his defensive deficiencies would make him a less than ideal fit with Williamson and Ingram (and McCollum, if he wasn’t included in the deal). Murray, an All-Star the last time he functioned as a primary playmaker, could help with not only table-setting duties, but also point-of-attack defense, support scoring and enough perimeter shot-making to keep defenses honest.

2. Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves2 of 3

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If New Orleans makes a major move this offseason, a change on the interior seems likeliest.

Jonas Valančiūnas is good at what he does, but he doesn’t check the biggest boxes for an ideal fit with Williamson. The perfect big to pair with Williamson would possess the unicorn blend of shot-blocking and floor-spacing. Valančiūnas underwhelms on both fronts.

Naz Reid, meanwhile, has both attributes in his bag, and he might have even more to offer if given a bigger role than the reserve gig he fills for the Minnesota Timberwolves. His per-36-minutes averages this season painted him as at least a competent shot-blocker (1.3, the fewest of his career) and an elite outside shooter (3.1 triples at a 41.4 percent clip), per Basketball-Reference.

The Wolves obviously wouldn’t want to give him away, but they probably need to trim their payroll somewhere, and not paying $14 million to a backup big man is a cost-cutting scenario they’d have to explore.

1. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers3 of 3

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While Jarrett Allen can’t expand the spacing of this frontcourt, the Pelicans could be all over him anyway. He has never been a shooter, and New Orleans was still among the teams with interest in him, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.

Outside of shooting, Allen offers everything you could want in a running mate for Williamson.

Allen is stingy at the basket and capable defending away from it. He gobbles up rebounds and finishes with ferocity around (and above) the rim. He’s also used to operating in confined spaces having spent the past three seasons alongside another non-shooter in Evan Mobley.

Bring Allen to the Big Easy, and an elite, dominant defense could emerge shortly thereafter. If the Pels could have that plus a still potent attack (Williamson and at least one of Ingram or McCollum would lead that end), they might strike the two-way balance needed to become full-fledged title contenders.