Three Players New Orleans Pelicans Could Trade If Season Starts Poorly

The New Orleans Pelicans seem to be running it back next season with pretty much the same roster from last year, which finished with a 26-56 record.

The obvious hope there is that a lot of the issues came down to coaching and poor injury luck. There is certainly more talent on this roster than most 26 win teams, but the Pelicans do have to be prepared for a future where things go poorly once again.

If that should happen, and this roster comes out shaky once again, then it might be time to blow it up and just build around the youngsters. Here are the players who could get moved at the deadline if things stay the same:

Murphy is the name that's been brought up consistently this offseason, for a reason. He's by far the most valuable player on the roster right now, at least that the team would trade, but they don't want to move him. He could also remain a part of the core with Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, as he's 26. Still, if they do want to pull off a rebuild, the two or three firsts that Murphy could fetch would be very attractive.

They might be able to squeeze out that extra draft pick closer to the deadline as contending teams get desperate for that complimentary piece to their lineup.

Williamson has been the subject of trade rumors for years because of his constant injury issues. He's such a potential talent, and remains ultra-efficient when healthy, making him very hard to give up on. It's been said for a long time at this point, but the leash can only go so long. If they do blow it up, Williamson won't be in the long-term plans.

Another injury would make him very hard to trade, but the value is creeping back up after making major strides last season. There is a universe where he stays healthy, but 

At his end-of-year press conference, Murray said all but he’ll request a trade (possibly for a second time). He’s getting older and already missed so much to injury that he doesn’t want to waste any more years in his career on non-playoff teams. He looked great in a small sample size when coming back last year. If he looks even better next season, then he won’t be hard to move.