5. New Orleans Pelicans
It was a tale of two seasons for the Pelicans this past year. When the team was at its best (AKA healthy), they found themselves at the top of the Western Conference and seemed poised to be a contender. However, injuries and inconsistency led to a 42-40 record topped off by an unceremonious play-in tournament exit.
The easy excuse is to blame injuries (particularly Zion Williamson) but there could very well be more to it. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean that anything major has to be done to get things right.
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said as much himself.
"“We’ve seen enough to know that we’re close. I think it is tweaks more than it is huge moves.”"
Unless said tweaks don’t provide the needed success, the Pelicans might become desperate enough to think a little bigger. Thankfully, they have the assets to do just that.
Few teams have as much draft capital as the Pelicans do. If the Pelicans want to make a splashy trade (say for a disgruntled superstar?) they can outbid almost anyone. The team could theoretically give up five first-round picks and still have five left over. It just depends on how desperate they are.
The Pelicans aren’t under nearly as much pressure as some of the other teams on this list. But it is certainly getting a little warmer. What if Zion and Brandon Ingram continue to struggle with health? At what point (if any) do they pull the plug on the C.J. McCollum experiment and make a splashy trade?
The Pelicans are certainly going to feel the temptation to make bold moves but for now, patience could be a virtue. If the team can return to the high level of basketball they played in December and stay healthy, New Orleans will be just fine; however, if the same problems persist, the “make trade in case of emergency” button might have to be pushed.