The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the most exciting young franchises in the NBA. Led by Head Coach Willie Green, they showed an impressive fight last season. The young core got their first taste of playoff basketball and still has plenty of growing still to do. The franchise was ultimately sent packing by the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in six games during the opening round.
The Pelicans made news to start the offseason by signing Zion Williamson to a long-term extension. The five-year deal could be worth up to $231 million if Williamson can meet the expectations. This signing is likely a sigh of relief for the franchise as there has been growing rumblings of him not being completely happy in New Orleans. The former number one overall pick has played a total of just 85 games in his three years in the NBA. Getting him back on the court on a more consistent basis is the focus for New Orleans moving forward.
The return of Zion Williamson alongside the core of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum has exciting potential. There also are solid role players in place such as Herb Jones, Larry Nance Jr, Devonte' Graham, and Trey Murphy. Most of the team's growth will occur from Zion's return to the court and the team learning to play with each other. However, this does not mean the work is fully done for the Pelicans front office. Here are two moves the team should explore to fully set them up for success moving forward.
2 moves Pelicans still must make after first weekend of 2022 NBA free agency
Extend Jaxson Hayes
There were high expectations for Jaxson Hayes after being drafted with the 8th pick in the 2019 draft. Now three years into his NBA career, it is tough to say he has reached them. Hayes took a step forward last season and averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in his 20 minutes per game. The Texas product has struggled to get minutes with Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas clogging up time on the court.
At 21 years old, there is still plenty of potential growth to be seen with Jaxson Hayes. He is now eligible to sign his rookie extension and inking him to a long-term and team-friendly deal could prove beneficial to the team. Hayes has shown enough flashes and is an interesting enough player to make this a worthwhile gamble. At the worst, this would become a very tradeable contract. Making this type of move would put the franchise in a great place in the long run.
Whether or not Jaxson Hayes is a part of the Pelicans' long-term future is still to be determined. How he plays alongside Zion Williamson is sure to have the greatest impact on this answer. Regardless, it is important for the franchise to do its work now and put itself in the best position in the long term. Inking Hayes to a team-friendly deal could prove to be an extremely savvy move.
Pick Up Kira Lewis Jr. Team Option
Another player who has been unable to fully show what he can do is Kira Lewis. The former 13th overall pick has played just 78 games in his NBA career. There are certainly some red flags in Lewis' game. He has connected on less than 30% of his three-point attempts and has shot just 39.1% from the field. He also tore his ACL and sprained his MCL which kept him out of the remainder of last season.
Even so, there is plenty of time for Kira Lewis to grow into the player he is capable of being. The 21-year-old was seemingly hitting his stride prior to the injury and had shown some nice flashes. He was the youngest player on the Pelicans last season and still has the same intriguing potential he had when initially drafted.
The Alabama product is heading into the final year of his contract and has a team option for the following year. Committing to pay the young guard $5.7 million is a worthy gamble to make. While the backcourt has gotten more crowded since he came to the Pelicans, Lewis still deserves a chance. If things do not work out he would also be on a tradeable contract and likely is still an appealing asset to teams around the NBA. This is another low-risk high-reward move that sets the Pelicans up in the long run.
The biggest offseason addition for New Orleans will be Zion Williamson's return to the court. The core of the franchise is in place and they have a full roster already. There is no reason to make any other major changes before getting a true look at how good the current team can be. Instead, the Pelicans should focus on making moves to give them flexibility in the long term.
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