New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are not one of the more en vogue Irving destinations. In all likelihood, you were expecting to see the Miami Heat in the third slide.

We’ll pass. Firstly, it’s hard to imagine what the Heat could offer for Irving that won’t weaken them to such an extent that adding him is fruitless.

Furthermore, any typical Irving antics seem unlikely to sit well with Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat have a good thing going. Throwing Irving into the mix could be a recipe for disaster as much as anything else.

Of course, that holds true for any team acquiring Irving. Still, the New Orleans Pelicans at least have such an offensive infrastructure in place that Irving is a bonus, not a required player. Plus, they’re plush enough with draft capital that they could swing a trade for Irving without parting with any of their key offensive pieces.

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If Irving buys in, it could be enough to vault them to contender status in 2022-23.