Would this trade make sense for the New Orleans Pelicans?
The New Orleans Pelicans would be getting back a former All-Star that they could add to their already established core. Kristaps Porzingis would join Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, and Zion Williamson, once he makes his return.
That big four has enough talent to drag the Pelicans to the playoffs, at the very least. Plus, if Williamson can continue to develop and finally get healthy, there’s no telling how good he could get. With a core that talented around him, he could lead the Pelicans on a deep playoff run.
The key to building around Williamson has been, and will always be, adding floor spacing and scorers around him. Although he’s having a down year from deep, Porzingis definitely qualifies as a floor spacer. He’s always been a solid scorer, and if he can get back to the point where he’s shooting around 35 percent from deep, he’d be the perfect fit.
Things would certainly get a bit weird when making lineups, though. In theory, Willie Green could play Ingram at the two, Porzingis at the three, Williamson at the four, and Valanciunas at the five. However, that would be a very tall, very slow lineup to be rolling out onto the floor.
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All-in-all, this trade would be about bringing more star power to New Orleans. Surrounding Williamson with the best team possible for when he returns to the court. Filling out depth around those four would be a necessity, but that’s something New Orleans could figure out down the road.
