The New Orleans Pelicans have been busy this offseason. They fired head coach Stan Van Gundy after one season at the helm, hiring Willie Green to take his place. Following that, it was up to David Griffin to fix the self-proclaimed wonky roster that he gave Van Gundy so that the team can start finding more success on the court.
That process began before the 2021 NBA Draft when the Pelicans sent Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, the No. 17 overall pick and a 2022 first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jonas Valanciunas and the No. 10 overall pick. The teams also swapped 2021 second-round picks in the deal.
The roster overhaul didn’t stop there as the Pelicans executed a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls, where Lonzo Ball landed a four-year, $85 million deal. Devonte’ Graham was acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets to help replace him, as the Pelicans sent a future first-round pick to the Hornets.
While all of these moves helped create some salary-cap maneuverability for New Orleans, their main goal going forward has to be making Zion Williamson happy. There are already reports that members of his family want him out of New Orleans. While Willamson can only leave New Orleans via trade right now, that is a relationship they need to get fixed.
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Williamson is the face of the franchise and they need to make sure everyone is on the same page. After what happened with Anthony Davis and Chris Paul before him, the organization must do whatever it takes to ensure Williamson is happy in the Big Easy.
Upgrading the roster around him so the team wins more games is one way to do it. Here are three ideal trade targets to get Zion Williamson more help.