Does This Trade Make Sense For The New Orleans Pelicans?
If Lonzo Ball wants to leave the Pelicans in NBA free agency, then they should absolutely try and execute a sign-and-trade to send him where he wants to play. Not only would they salvage some value from Ball in the sign-and-trade instead of just letting him go, but they would create a pretty hefty trade exception for themselves that they could use mid-season during the 2021-22 season.
New Orleans is in an interesting position as an organization and if they lose Ball, they will need to scramble for ways to add another top-tier talent to their roster to pair with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Having some cap space, tradable assets in young talent and draft picks, as well as a trade exception, the Pelicans would have everything they need to find more talent via trade either this offseason or next season if they were to trade Ball to the Knicks.
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Not to mention, the Pelicans would get Mitchell Robinson in this sign-and-trade, which would be a big win for them. He is still young and much more polished than Jaxson Hayes at the center position, which would be a big upgrade for them in their front-court.
Through his first three years in the league, Robinson has averaged 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, but the most impressive stat for Robinson is that he has shot 70.5% from the floor. He led the league in shooting percentage during the 2019-20 season, averaging 74.2% shooting, which is why the Pelicans need him.
Steven Adams is not really efficient offensively for the Pelicans and seeing as they have Williamson and Ingram, the Pelicans want to play by dominating the paint offensively. That is why adding a guy like Robinson could be extremely important to the Pelicans.
Assuming Lonzo Ball wants to leave, there is no reason why the Pelicans should not want to execute this sign-and-trade with the Knicks. They get a fair return with Robinson and they create an opportunity to go after more talent to upgrade their roster.
