Does this trade make sense for the New Orleans Pelicans?
Any trade in which the Pelicans would be getting rid of Eric Bledsoe this offseason makes sense! This deal especially makes sense for several reasons. Not only would they free up $4.5M in cap space that they desperately need this offseason by making this trade, but they would also get a young talent in Romeo Langford and two future second-round picks.
With Langford, he has not been great early on in his career, but he is on his rookie contract through the 2022-23 season, giving the Pelicans time to try and integrate him within their system. At just 21-years-old and being a more lengthy guard, Romeo Langford could definitely be a factor as a two-way threat in time.
The two second-round picks the Pelicans would receive in this deal do not seem too valuable, especially since they own four second-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft already, but they could easily package a lot of these draft assets together to move up in the draft and collect yet another first-round pick.
With Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the New Orleans Pelicans have two All-Star talents to lead them for many years to come, but the Pelicans front-office must find ways to surround their two stars with more talent. Bringing back Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart are possibilities, but building this team through the draft is the way to go.
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New Orleans has the 10th pick in this year’s draft, giving them the ability to bring in a high-level prospect, and as we mentioned, they have a ton of second-round picks that they could leverage as assets to get yet another high-level talent. This will be something to keep tabs on in trade rumors as the 2021 NBA Draft approaches.
The Pelicans definitely have a chance to turn things around in a hurry and potentially even make the play-in tournament next year, but they have to find ways to free up cap space and trade away “unwanted” contracts like that of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe. This trade gives them the ability to dump Bledsoe while gaining some assets, which is why this is a trade that makes sense for New Orleans.
