New Orleans Pelicans Receive: F Kelly Oubre, C Kai Jones, 2022 First-Round Pick (NOP), 2022 First-Round Pick (CHA), 2025 First-Round Pick (CHA), 2028 First-Round Pick (CHA)
Charlotte Hornets Receive: F Zion Williamson
Consider this the prerequisite “draft picks” package.
If the New Orleans Pelicans are moving on from Zion Williamson, there’s a good chance they’ll want a lot of them. Despite all the concerns about his health, he still has an MVP ceiling. They’ll need to be compensated accordingly.
This feels like a substantial return. Kai Jones only managed a modest 3.0 minutes per game in his 2021-22 rookie campaign with the Hornets.
He still has tremendous potential as a big man with a great combination of length and mobility. Any rebuilding squad should be interested in him.
With that said: the Pelicans may not need to rebuild at all. They’ll still have Brandon Ingram. The team looked good down the stretch of 2021-22 without Zion, and they’re acquiring an impact player in Oubre in this exchange as well.
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The smarter move might be to pivot, and continue competing. If that’s how the front office feels, bringing a third team into the fold may allow them to make a better deal.