A day before the New Orleans Pelicans announce their new head coach in Willie Green the team was already in the thick of reshaping its roster with a blockbuster trade.
The deal involves multiple picks and players, but brings former Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas to New Orleans, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal also swaps the Pelicans No. 10 pick in the 2021 draft with the Grizzlies No. 17, and sends veteran center Steven Adams and guard Eric Bledsoe to Memphis. The Pelicans will also send Memphis the No. 40 overall selection and a protected first-round selection in 2022. That future pick is top-10 protected, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, and is one of the selections acquired by the Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade.
The Pelicans also receive the No. 51 overall selection in the deal.
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The move, while adding a reliable big with 3-point range, also gives the Pelicans contract flexibility by clearing the high-dollar deals of Adams and Bledsoe, both of whom were acquired as part of the trade that sent Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks before last season.
Bledsoe was set to play on the third season of a 4-year, $70 million contract signed as a member of the Bucks before the 2019-'20 season and will earn $18.1 million this season. Adams was set to earn $17 million this season on the first season of a two-year, $35 million extension signed with the Pelicans after he was acquired from the Thunder. Valanciunas, meanwhile, will earn a hefty $14 million, but he is entering the final year of that deal which allows the Pelicans flexibility to work out an extension or move on after the season.
That cap relief could loom large as the Pelicans turn to the draft and free agency, where they'll have to make a decision on both Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball as they enter restricted free agency. The Pelicans have the option to match any offer sheets those players are signed to by other NBA teams. Regardless, cap relief will help the Pelicans in their pursuit of other notable free agents, and clears the road somewhat for a looming max extension when superstar Zion Williamson reaches restricted free agency after two more seasons.
Despite shipping out one of its future selections, the Pelicans still have plenty of assets to be aggressive leading up to and during the NBA draft. They hold all of their own future picks, as well as another unprotected first-rounder from the Lakers (2024 or 2025) and a pair of unprotected first-rounders from the Milwaukee Bucks (2025 and 2027), along with a pair of swap options with both teams.
The Pelicans are set to announce new head coach Willie Green, a former Phoenix Suns assistant, on Tuesday morning. The NBA draft will be held Thursday.
Check back for updates.
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