New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are the number one team nobody is talking about when it comes to Bradley Beal and they could offer up some pretty decent sized trade packages for the superstar guard. So far this year, things have not gone the way the Pelicans had hoped, as they are just 6-10 to begin the year, but they have a lot of potential for the rest of the season because of how good Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are.
Both of these guys are All-Star caliber players, but this team is missing that high-level scorer that most playoff caliber teams have. Zion and Ingram can each go for 20+ on any given night, but they are not looked at the same way a player like Bradley Beal is.
Last season, Beal averaged 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and shot 45.5% from the floor, 35.3% from three-point range. Bringing in a dynamic shooter and scorer like Beal not only makes the Pelicans a team to watch in the Western Conference, but should make them a sure-thing playoff team.
This team does not have a lot of wiggle-room financially, but they do have a lot of bigger salaries on expiring contracts that could be moved. J.J. Redick, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart are all in the final years of their contracts and combined, add up to about $27.5M in outgoing salaries.
Combining these three guys with another young player in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and possibly three first-round draft picks gives the Wizards everything they would want in a trade for Beal and gives the Pelicans the superstar player they need.
While the Pelicans have been good at times defensively this year, they have played rather poor on the offensive end of the court. They currently rank 22nd in scoring and rank 27th in three-point shooting percentage.
Adding Bradley Beal to this roster not only helps them in those two categories, but it gives the Pelicans their “go-to” guy late in games. Zion and Ingram are great players and All-Star level players, but they need an experienced, proven star talent, which is what they get with Bradley Beal.
