Grading the trade for the New Orleans Pelicans
Grade: B+
If the New Orleans Pelicans are forced to move on from Brandon Ingram this summer by his refusal to sign a contract extension, there's much worse they can do than this deal. For all his faults, Tyler Herro is a very good player. He's an elite 3-point shooter and can be a valuable microwave scorer off the bench for any team.
Adding one of the Heat's young players (Jamie Jaquez Jr. makes the most sense for the Pelicans moving forward) will be the key to this deal getting across the finish line. Even though he hit a wall during the second half of the season, there were plenty of flashes of brilliance from Jaquez all season long. He'd be an interesting young player to add to this team's already talented foundation. The future first-round pick that would be included would be icing on the cake.
If the Pelicans can come away with an established difference-maker (Herro), a promising young player (Jaquez), and a future first-round pick (preferably unprotected, though that's not a guarantee) in exchange for a player who may be counting his days before he leaves in free agency, this trade would be considered a pretty strong win for New Orleans.