The New Orleans Pelicans practice facility is practically a ghost town on the weekend after the team was swept from the NBA Playoffs. Most of the players have headed out on vacation and the front office is on the road nailing down the last valuable bits of information on NBA Draft prospects. Everyone else is left trying to figure out where the franchise goes from here.
It was an admittedly ‘bittersweet' season for the Pelicans, according to Zion Williamson. New Orleans EVP David Griffin says fans will “see a real sense of urgency” from the front office this summer. While some teams are still in the hunt for an NBA Finals appearance, the rest have fans being left to their own devices. It's leading to some wildly outrageous trade rumors already but there are a few that should be easy to ignore.
Jimmy Butler bullish on a new near-max deal
The Miami Heat's title window with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo leading the way was slammed shut by the Boston Celtics. That's going to leave Pat Riley with some tough decisions. Butler will turn 35 before the 2024-25 NBA season tips off and has missed at least 18 games in each of the past four campaigns. Butler is owed $48.8 million in 2025-25 and has a $52.4 million player option for 2025-26.
Butler averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, five assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He shot 49.9% shooting from the field, 41.4% from beyond the three-point arc, and 85.8% percent from the charity stripe. Those are decent numbers but Butler averaged fewer points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game. He also missed 20 or more regular-season games for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Pelicans would be giving up Brandon Ingram and draft assets to pay for Butler's past performances. The fit with Zion Williamson is a wholly different conversation but not with the time. Butler also wants a maximum-level two-year contract extension worth about $113 million, per the Miami Herald.
A luxury-tax allergic New Orleans franchise cannot sign up to pay a 37-year-old Butler $58.6 million for the 2026-2027 season. It's simply not feasible financially and does not fit the team's title timeline around Williamson.
Pelicans can buy low on Ben Simmons
The working theory is the Pelicans need more rim protection and a point guard. Well, Ben Simmons can do both without needing a 15-shot-per-game diet on offense. The LSU alum is also on an expiring contract, so New Orleans would be renting with the option to extend with Simmons. Unfortunately, the former 2020-21 All-Star had played in just 57 games over the past three seasons.
Injuries aside, there is some merit to the idea. Simmons would be a complimentary, connecting piece on offense. Simmons and Herb Jones on defense would terrorize rivals. The three-time All-Star's expiring $40.3 million contract during the 2024-25 season would be moveable at the trade deadline if the Pelicans are not playing above .500 basketball. New Orleans could create max-level space to add a free agent next to Zion Williamson in the free-agent summer of 2025.
So sure, the Pelicans can buy low on Ben Simmons, but should they? Probably not considering the lack of three-pointers to provide spacing and the injury history. That has not stopped some from firing up the trade machine though.
Zach LaVine needs new scenery
This might as well list everyone from Chicago. The Bulls are blowing up the Big 3 of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vučević.
“The Bulls know they have a Zach LaVine problem. Not the man or the player, but the contract,” reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “A team source reiterated that trading the two-time All-Star remains priority one, two, and three this summer, with the hope to not only get off the remaining three years, nearly $138 million left on the max contract, but also to make sure the runway remained clear for the continued emergence of Coby White as a lead guard.”
There is no Godfather offer here to be had. New Orleans cannot try to solve one relatively small issue by taking on a bigger problem. Put this LaVine idea out to pasture. The Pelicans have far better options that require less risk on a long-term investment.
Andrew Wiggins wondering what's next
The Warriors got the best years from Wiggins, and the 2014 NBA Draft's first-overall pick earned an NBA Finals championship ring in the process. That peak form is likely never to be replicated. The 29-year-old has become a negative asset with $84.7 million still owed to him over the next three seasons.
Wiggins, a 2022 All-Star selection, has missed time due to injuries and personal matters. It's affected his rhythm in support of Steph Curry and the Warriors have fallen out of true championship contention. The former NBA Rookie of the Year averaged a meager 13.2 points on 35.8% shooting from three-point range this season and was benched for stretches as well.
The Pelicans tried to go with the young yet experienced veteran philosophy before. It got Dell Demps fired and New Orleans brought in EVP David Griffin to build something more organically. Working out a deal for Wiggins does not fit in the new blueprint.
D'Angelo Russell not doing team-friendly deals
Players were still taking showers following a Game 5 loss but Russell was already looking ahead when addressing a potential free agency frenzy this summer.
“When I signed my contract last year I knew what position I was going to put myself in,” Russell explained. “So to be in that position now, with a little leverage, going to try to take advantage of it.”
Russell's position is a $18.7 million player option. His attitude about how to approach negotiations has already rankled fans in Los Angeles. Will the Pelicans want to welcome Russell into the locker room, especially on a short-term deal?
The Lakers got 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds from the 2019 All-Star in the regular season. He helped keep the team afloat but the sixth-seeded squad was no match for the Denver Nuggets. Russell posted 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in the NBA Playoffs while shooting 38% from the field, 32% from three-point range, and just 50% from the three-point line.
The Pelicans might need a point guard but it's hard to see how Russell lifts this team's championship ceiling. Furthermore, any agreement to acquire Russell likely lets LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers off the hook. In a cut-throat Western Conference, the Pelicans cannot help a desperate contender wiggle out of a bad spot, especially if it's part of a tread-water deal that does nothing to help Williamson.
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