Subscribe
Follow Us
While the New Orleans Pelicans were one of the more active teams during the opening days of 2024's edition of NBA free agency, trading two first-round picks Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, and Dyson Daniels to the Atlanta Hawks for DeJounte Murray, the team still has a one massive hold heading into the 2024-25 season: starting center.
Sure, the Pelicans selected an intriguing five-man in the draft in Baylor freshman Yves Missi at pick 21, but he's a raw prospect relatively early in his development and probably won't be able to slot into long-time starting center Jonas Valanciunas' shoes right away, following the 32-year-old's decision to sign a three-year, $30 million contract with the Washington Wizards. Factor in the lack of other quality bigs on the roster, with Nance included in the Murray trade and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl more of a power forward, and it's safe to say New Orleans needs to find someone, anyone, to hold things down in the paint in order to capitalize on a very important season.
Fortunately, it would appear that the Pelicans have a player they believe perfectly fits what they want to do heading into the future: Jarrett Allen.
The Pelicans have a legitimate interest in Jarrett Allen
Discussing the potential moves that could define the NBA in free agency on the precipice of free agency's opening bell, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports revealed that the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the more interesting teams to watch, as they are interested adding a player like Brandon Ingram to their roster but aren't as interesting at doing so at the expense of Allen, who the Pelicans are very interested in acquiring.
“Cleveland continues to be mentioned by league personnel as a possible alternative for Ingram, but there’s no straightforward path to making such a deal work with the Cavaliers. While Cleveland holds interest in Ingram and values his skillset, sources said, Cavs personnel have maintained a reluctance to breaking up the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, as NBA figures continue preparing for Mitchell to sign a lucrative extension. Without parting with Allen, who’s long been on New Orleans’ radar, it’s difficult to find a path to bring Ingram to Northeast Ohio. (Another center the Pelicans had been eyeing, Nets big man Nic Claxton, is now committed to four more years at $100 million in Brooklyn.) Cleveland doesn’t want to part with Garland, either, sources said, even if his representation at Klutch Sports attempts to push his own trade.”
On paper, it makes sense why the Pelicans would be interested in bringing in Allen, especially after acquiring Murray, as he's a big, athletic center who can guard multiple frontcourt positions, set strong screens, and catch lobs in the air from the former Atlanta Hawk, CJ McCollum, and even Zion Williamson when he's got the ball in his hands running the offense. his 16.5 points per game would have ranked fourth on the team behind Williamson, Ingram, and McCollum, and his 10.5 rebounds per game would have ranked first overall, as no player averaged more than 8.8 rebounds a game last season.
Factor in the Pelicans' reported interest in acquiring Allen earlier this year when the Cavs' season was truly up in the air due to injuries, and it feels like Cleveland's stance against trading their All-Star center may be tested by some strong offers from New Orleans.
The Pelicans tried to trade for Jarrett Allen in the past
Speaking of the Pelicans' interest in Allen during the 2023-24 season, Fischer actually reported on that last December, too, telling fans that New Orleans was a name to watch if he was made available via trade.
“It’s easy to drop Jarrett Allen from the pantheon of NBA centers, what with the two-way brilliance of [Joel] Embiid and Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis’ All-NBA orchestration in Sacramento, and Rudy Gobert’s resurgence as the game’s greatest rim protector,” Fischer wrote for Yahoo Sports. “Yet Allen remains high on that proverbial list, with two years remaining on a five-year, $100 million contract that will draw, and has drawn, plenty of interest from playoff contenders like the New Orleans Pelicans.”
If the Pelicans had interest in Allen last December and again at the end of June, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't still want to acquire the All-Star center in early July, too, should he become available. While fans may be open to a one-for-one swap that sends Ingram on a new deal to Cleveland for Allen – plus the requisite contracts to make the deal legal – if the Pelicans have to include additional assets to make the deal work, New Orleans shouldn't hesitate to get a deal done, as between the decision to go all-in on Murray and the emergence of Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III as starting caliber wings next to Zion Williamson, the team may truly be a starting center away from fielding a very exciting team in a loaded Western Conference.
