NEWSLETTER
With 10 days to go until the 2023 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans have joined the rumors.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that the organization is expected to “aggressively pursue” a top-3 pick in the NBA Draft. More specifically, the Pelicans are reportedly going after G-League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson.
Here are Charania’s exact words:
“The Pelicans are expected to aggressively pursue a top pick – potentially 2 or 3 – in this upcoming NBA Draft with their eyes set on Scoot Henderson … The Pelicans are among teams seriously pursuing that No. 2 overall pick.”
You got to love the NBA offseason!
The Pelicans followed up a shockingly competitive first-round series with the Phoenix Suns in 2021-22 with an overall disappointing campaign this year. The team’s season ended short of the postseason in 9th thanks to a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in stage one of the Play-In Tournament. Once again, former No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson struggled to stay healthy, appearing in just 29 games after missing the entirety of the previous season with a foot injury.
A healthy Williamson remains one of the most intriguing young talents in the NBA. The Pelicans have also done a solid job building out the roster around him in recent years with a mix of veterans and high-upside youngsters. Names like CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas remain respected figures around the league, while All-Star Brandon Ingram is still just 25 years old and one of the best forwards in the game. Young role players like Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Dyson Daniels have also shown encouraging glimpses early in their careers.
Add in a deep arsenal of first-round draft picks (they control all their own picks between 2023-2029) and there is no question New Orleans could have the ammo to get a deal done. The bigger question is exactly what the Trail Blazers or Hornets would want in return. Both would surely want a high-profile player in return as opposed to a deal merely structured around future picks. But would the organization really part ways with Ingram or Williamson already? If so, who is likely to go first?
This will undoubtedly be a fascinating story to watch develop in the coming days. The expectation should be for only more teams to enter the mix for these top picks, which so we’ll have to see how “aggressive” the Pelicans truly plan on being.
Speaking of which, if New Orleans wanted to blow a Bulls offer out of the water … they could!
