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The 2021-22 campaign will be a key one for the New Orleans Pelicans franchise. At the helm is new coach Willie Green, who will hope to lead his former team back to the playoffs, while simultaneously keeping superstar Zion Williamson happy.
Williamson was the Pelicans' No.1 overall pick in 2019 but has yet to show off to the NBA world what he can do in the postseason. After a dismal year in which the franchise finished 11th in the West and struggled defensively, there will need to be some considerable changes this summer to help them compete in the stacked conference.
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In this article, we will outline three assets the New Orleans Pelicans can offload in order to bolster their roster around the power forward.
3 Assets the New Orleans Pelicans could move in the NBA offseason
Zion Williamson is a generational talent and the New Orleans Pelicans will be terrified of the repercussions that could come from another disappointing season. There have already been murmurs from the 21-year-old's camp that certain family members are unhappy with the situation for Williamson at the ball club.
He is the kind of player that any team in the NBA would want and if it became clear that he wanted out, there would be an all-out bidding war. But before that happens, the New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to make things right.
They have a bunch of draft picks to offer teams and a few other assets that could help them land the kind of unselfish veteran star that would help them win a championship.
#3 Steven Adams
While Steven Adams is certainly still a serviceable center, his fit with the New Orleans Pelicans this year and Zion Williamson was awkward. He averaged the lowest number of points per 36 minutes since his sophomore season and the fewest blocks of his career.
On top of that, he shot at his worst rate from the free-throw line, connecting with just 44% of attempts.
Adams is still only 28 and should be coming into the peak years of his NBA life, but the Pelicans may choose to go another way this summer and move him back out.
They need powerful, athletic bigs who can shoot the rock to play alongside Williamson and could look to go to a small-ball line-up while simultaneously focusing on Jaxson Hayes' development.
Moving on from Adams would also go a long way in helping the New Orleans Pelicans clear up some salary space.
#2 No.10 Pick in 2021 Draft
There has already been a lot of discussion surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans' lottery pick this year. The franchise earned the 10th selection for the draft on Thursday night but recent reports have suggested they may want to utilize it as part of a trade package to bring in another star alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
The Pelicans already have a plethora of young talent. Jaxson Hayes, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball (though he may get traded) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker surround their top two players and the franchise have an abundance of future draft picks on top of the five they have this week.
So losing their first-round prospect makes sense for a team that wants to return to the playoffs and keep Williamson's camp happy.
#1 Eric Bledsoe
Offloading Eric Bledsoe's contract is near the top of the agenda for the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason. The veteran guard had a disappointing campaign for the Pels after his move from Milwaukee, with his effectiveness as low as it has been for eight years.
He averaged 12 points per game and 3.8 assists while looking like a shadow of himself on defense.
Bledsoe is due to receive $18m dollars in the upcoming season. Therefore, a likely trade scenario would have to include one of the Pelicans' draft picks, potentially their selection this summer, since no team is going to just take his contract without the deal being sweetened first.
Despite struggling to make it work in New Orleans, Bledsoe can still provide experience and two-way ability, either off the bench or as a starter. He is a two-time All-Defensive player who has averaged 1.4 steals per game throughout his career.
Furthermore, his contract is only partially guaranteed for the 2022-23 season, which could give the franchise additional leverage in moving him.
