Their roster looks downright awful without Zion and they have hamstrung themselves by giving up valuable assets for less in return and giving mediocre players too much of their cap space at every turn.
By doing nothing but keeping what the Lakers gave them in the AD trade, they could have had a young core lineup of:
Lonzo, Ingram, DeAndre Hunter, Zion, and tons of cap space to build around those rookie deals with maybe a floor spacing center and defensive depth. That lineup would have provided great defensive cover and spacing for Ingram and Zion.
Instead, they did this:
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In the AD trade, they got back the #4 pick (DeAndre Hunter) and traded him to the Hawks for Jaxson Hayes and NAW. The biggest thing Zion and Ingram are missing now is a 3/D wing who can space the floor and is strong enough to guard the wings Ingram can’t. That’s exactly what Hunter does for the Hawks. Hayes has been thought of as so unimportant by the Pels now that Griffin has traded picks for and extended two different centers.
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They gave up and traded down two picks to extend and then dump Steven Adams when everyone else knew he didn’t fit in the first place. The Pelicans not only gave a first they could have kept for Adams in 2020, a big who can’t shoot to play next to Zion, but extended him to a 2 year $34 million deal before he even played a game. In 2021, they had to trade down in the draft to salary dump him and Bledsoe in exchange for Valanciunas.
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They let Lonzo Ball walk in free agency because he was too expensive, but then signed Devonte’ Graham and extended Valanciunas which is ultimately more expensive. Lonzo was a great fit as a defensive guard who can shoot and pass; he may not be the perfect playmaker in the half court, but the Pelicans let him walk for worse players and without retaining future cap space which is a loss from every angle.
Obviously Zion needs to be healthy no matter what. But the Pelicans haven’t maximized the pieces around him the entire time he’s been there.
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