The player that the New Orleans Pelicans are looking to trade up for has reportedly been revealed as Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament.
When the reports came that the New Orleans Pelicans wanted to get back into the first round of this year's draft, it was clear that they had fallen in love with a specific prospect. That prospect may now be known.
On Wednesday night, NBA insider Jake Fischer updated his reporting on the Pelicans' trade quest and said, "Sources say [Nate] Ament is indeed one of the top prospects that would interest New Orleans if it could get high enough to draft him."
That is a statement that is not at all surprising, but could also certainly frustrate a contingent of Pelicans fans. Ament is among the most divisive players in the class. He has the makings of an elite talent at the next level, but is very raw and could hit a wall at the next level.
Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 39.9/33.3/79.0 shooting splits last season for the Volunteers, which shows exactly why he's exciting. A freshman forward putting up 16.7 points in the SEC is a great sign, but needing 12.3 shots per game to do it is not.
He drew a ton of fouls and attempted 7.1 free throws per game, which would have been second on last year's New Orleans team behind Zion Williamson's 7.5. After him was Saddiq Bey at 4.1. Bringing in someone else who could help opponents get into foul trouble
Scouts are enamored with Ament because he could become a dominant player at 6-foot-10 with the offensive ceiling that he carries. He has a plus wing-span ratio and should at least be able to guard three through five on the opposing team.
He isn't the biggest, though, which is one of the things that his future NBA team will need to address. If they could get him enough weight and strength, currently at 210.8 pounds, then he could become a true bully in the paint.
Ament was one of the first guesses when it came out that the New Orleans were looking to get into the lottery, simply because of how much potential he holds.
Fischer also made it clear in his reporting that Ament probably won't escape the top 10, so it would take a ton of maneuvering by the Pelicans to actually pull it off. The wording of his Ament report also suggests that Ament isn't the only player that New Orleans would want to draft if they were to reach the lottery once again.
