New Orleans Pelicans
After acquiring CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. from the Portland Trail Blazers for pennies on the dollar, the New Orleans Pelicans suddenly had one of the most complete and balanced rosters in the NBA.
They proved it by pulling a 180 in the regular season, recovering from a dismal start to eventually claw their way into the Play-In Tournament.
From there, Brandon Ingram and his new friends were able to win their way in and even put up an exhilarating six-game effort against the first-overall-seed Phoenix Suns — and this was all sans franchise cornerstone, Zion Williamson.
Once Zion returns, the New Orleans Pelicans figure to have one of the most dominant rosters on both ends of the court. One department in which they were lacking that Williamson won’t be much help in was shooting. Even after trading for CJ McCollum, New Orleans continued to be one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league both in terms of volume and efficiency.
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Trading for Buddy Hield would be a significant buoy for their floor spacing and outside marksmanship. The Pelicans could put together a package around Devonte’ Graham, Jaxson Hayes, and a future first-round pick to bring Hield to the Big Easy. Hield would be able to slide right into the starting-two slot between CJ and BI.
With Zion back next season, New Orleans no longer needs Hayes’s services and can send him, his potential, and his headache-inducing, off-court issues elsewhere.
Buddy Hield would go a long way towards filling one of the only holes left in the New Orleans Pelicans’ roster.
