3 offseason moves that would make New Orleans Pelicans a West contender

Exploring three offseason moves that would make the New Orleans Pelicans a championship contender in the Western Conference.

The New Orleans Pelicans had an up-and-down season. Even though there were many bright moments throughout the regular season, it’s hard to look back at how this season ended as anything other than a disappointment. From being in the No. 1 seed of the Western Conference nearly at the midway point of the season to completely missing out on the NBA Playoffs is extremely depressing.

Nevertheless, heading into the offseason, the Pelicans will have the opportunity to change the narrative heading into next year. And while all the attention this summer will be invested into getting Zion Williamson healthy, the Pelicans should be preparing for another worst-case scenario for him heading into next season.

The Pelicans can’t rely on Zion to remain healthy for an entire season. So, they must make moves this offseason that would limit his loss would normally have. But I believe there is an easy three-step path to the Pelicans being a contender in the West next season. Before we get there, though, we must visit and acknowledge the team’s biggest weaknesses.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ biggest weaknesses

One thing that plagued the Pelicans on and off this season was their inconsistent offense. In the end, they were a bottom 10 team on that end of the floor. Their defense was great for most of the season but they faltered on arguably the most important aspect of basketball.

They also lacked depth in the frontcourt, which is why the team fell apart as soon as Zion went down with an injury. They also are one star short, it seems. The team could also benefit from some veteran depth.

With all that understood, let’s get to three moves that the Pelicans could seemingly make this offseason to make the jump to contender status in the West.