A look at potential New Orleans Pelicans draft pick, Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament.
The 2026 NBA draft is quickly approaching and, to no one's surprise, it appears that the New Orleans Pelicans don't want to wait for pick No. 58 and could be maneuvering to get back into the lottery.
Troy Weaver is a talent evaluator first, so it's no surprise that he would have fallen in love with a player in this quality draft class. It's the same reason that they don't have a pick this year, because they were infatuated with Derik Queen last year.
Continuing the series of prospect profiles and who the Pelicans could trade up for, it's time to look at one of the most divisive talents in the draft: Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament. There are many that he could be a star in the making, but there are just as many who view him as a bust.
Ament's one season with the Volunteers didn't really do anything to silence any doubters, either. Rather, it just showed what everyone knew. He is a player with immense talent, but is very raw. Another year in college probably would have done him well, but he clearly got some advice that told him that he would still get drafted early and should declare.
The 6-foot-10 forward posted 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists with a steal per game on 39.9/33.3/79.0 shooting splits. Obviously, that overall production is nice, but 16 points on 12 shots per game is not exactly the goal.
The best case scenario for Ament in the NBA is very high. He could be an All-Pro type of player. His offensive skillset combined with his size and athleticism provide a baseline of defensive capabilities as well, but he's just young.
There were moments on the court for Tennessee last year where he couldn't process the game quickly enough. Those are the things that cause pause when approaching him as a prospect.
Should the New Orleans Pelicans trade up for Nate Ament?
No, probably not. It isn't hard to see why New Orleans could get intrigued by Ament as a project, but that's just not what they should be focused on right now.
It appears that the Pelicans want to win now and a trade to get back into the lottery would mean trading someone like Trey Murphy or Herb Jones, and Ament would simply be a major downgrade for at least a few seasons over either of them. If they were picking in the lottery already maybe they could draft him, but he's too volatile of a talent to move major assets for.
