NBA Trade Rumors: New Orleans Pelicans looking to partner former Most Improved Player winner with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram
NBA and New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson might be having a new veteran teammate, according to reports.
According to Eric Pincus of The Bleacher Report, the New Orleans Pelicans are looking to pair CJ McCollum with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as they feel his veteran presence will propel the team forward. Pincus said:
"The team apparently views McCollum as the potentially ideal veteran scorer and leader to play alongside Brandon Ingram and Williamson."
Pincus wrote that the Pelicans front office is looking to the future and is trying to build a roster competitive enough for next season. Pincus continued:
"According to sources close to the Pelicans, the team is heading into the deadline as a buyer focusing on the 2022-23 campaign. Zion Williamson, who has yet to play this year with a foot injury, is eligible for an extension this offseason."
The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly views CJ McCollum as the ‘ideal veteran scorer and leader’ to play alongside Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, per @EricPincus https://t.co/AUhfhl0gxs
Should the Pelicans look to pair McCollum with Zion Williamson?
The New Orleans Pelicans are having a tumultuous campaign at the moment and are seemingly going nowhere in the highly competitive Western Conference. They are languishing as the 12th seed in the West with a record that reads 18 wins and 31 losses.
One of the primary reasons why the Pelicans have failed to deliver on expectations this season is because of the absence of rising superstar Zion Williamson. He has been sidelined for the entirety of the season thus far due to a foot injury and has had surgery. But once he is available for the team again, him and Brandon Ingram are a pair that could potentially get the Pelicans into the postseason.
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Adding someone of the caliber of CJ McCollum would be a massive upgrade to the Pelicans as he is a sharpshooter (39.8% from the perimeter for his career) and could instantly space the floor in a much better fashion for the Pelicans. If you can put Williamson and Ingram on the court together with McCollum, then you have three players who can get a bucket at will.
Zion will always attract double-teams as his game is predicated on his ability inside the arc and when the defense does collapse on him, he can dish it out to the open man in McCollum or Ingram.
With that said, the catch for the Pelicans here is McCollum's contract as he has over three years and $100 million remaining on his existing deal. But then again, McCollum is an All-Star caliber player and seems to have been made available for trade by the Portland Trail Blazers. This would be a good acquisition for Zion and the Pelicans as McCollum is a professional scorer and brings a bag of experience with him.