Despite an interesting squad, the Pelicans pulled off another campaign below expectations. We can therefore expect quite a bit of movement from Louisiana. The latest rumors indicate that two established players could soon pack their bags!
If Brandon Ingram et Zion Williamson have been more than convincing this season, the same can’t be said of most other New Orleans players. 11th in the West after 72 games (31-41), Bayou’s men could not even reach the Play-In-Tournament. An inevitably disappointing result, given the expectations placed on the workforce.
It will therefore logically undergo an overhaul during the next offseason. In any case, this is the opinion shared by many NBA analysts. According to one of them, the first victims of this upheaval would already be found, and they would be two well-known veterans of the big league:
Where they playing next season? pic.twitter.com/0Ne4mRGtBU
— Bobby (@lmnothim) May 28, 2021
According to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype, the Pelicans will try to trade Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe during the offseason.
Arrived at the same time in Louisiana, respectively from OKC and Milwaukee, Adams and Bledsoe could therefore do it again when packing their bags. No wonder given their respective contracts. With two more years and $ 35 million to come, following his extension last November, the New Zealand pivot is far too expensive for his performance, especially as Jaxon Hayes is impatiently biding his time behind him.
Ditto on the side of Bledsoe, who can himself touch 37 million over the remaining two years of his contract. His departure would allow NOLA to be able to invest more money in a possible extension of Lonzo Ball. The one who was nicknamed “Mini-Lebron” at the start of his career is clearly not at ease there, not very productive at the distribution (3.8 assists per game) and quite clumsy (42.1% shooting).
If the Pel’s manage to separate themselves from them via exchanges, they could at the same time inject new blood into the workforce. A big defender at the pivot position would not be too much, as well as an additional rotation for Ingram and Zion. The squad already has tauliers, it is now a question of better surrounding them, in order to be able to compete in the playoffs again.
Aging and with rather expensive contracts, Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe are logically no longer welcome in New Orleans. It remains to be determined who would be ready to welcome them with such salaries …
