The New Orleans Pelicans have been in talks to trade Jordan Hawkins, but what would they actually get out of moving the fourth-year guard?
The New Orleans Pelicans have recently been connected to trade rumors surrounding fourth-year guard Jordan Hawkins. It's a trade that might not mean much on the surface, but could open up a lot of things for the team if they pull it off.
The move to pick up the fourth-year option for Hawkins last season has been much maligned, with this exact moment being what people wanted to avoid. The guard ended up being a non-factor for the team last year, and now they must find someone to take on the $7 million for someone who might not play.
It's in that $7 million, though, that the Pelicans find themselves desperate to pull off a move, as it would allow for much more flexibility for the remaining offseason. It would almost double the amount that New Orleans has to work with before entering any level of the luxury tax. They certainly don't seem to be in a spot where they want any part of that luxury tax, so that makes the goal clear.
As things currently stand, that money would be going to someone who scored 5.1 points per game on 36.6/34.8/85.2 shooting splits last year. It's a shame given how promising his career started with a pretty jump shot, but his time with the Pelicans hasn't gone to plan. He needs a new environment to hopefully thrive in, more than just the coaching change that New Orleans underwent this offseason.
NBA front offices are traditionally very confident. It's not beyond belief that a team feels like they could be the ones to fix Hawkins. This is a scorer who helped lead the UCONN Huskies to a National Title and showed early prowess at the NBA level. He had two games with at least 30 points as a rookie.
Going into this offseason, it was clear that they would need a couple of things. One major thing was three-point shooting. They were one of the weakest shooting teams in the league last year. They also very much needed to turn the defensive effort around, especially with the coaching staff they brought in. So far, they've done neither, and Hawkins has not helped with either.
The Pelicans have already been outmuscled in free agency once this offseason, having been connected to Ziaire Williams before the Los Angeles Lakers swooped in. Perhaps if they had a little bit more money to work with, they could have pulled off the signing.
New Orleans has limited resources and roster spots, meaning they need to get the most out of every single aspect of their team. Trading Hawkins is one of the easiest ways they can make their squad better right now.
