It wasn't that long ago when all was going well in the New Orleans Pelicans' world. On January 2, the Pelicans were sitting comfortably within the Western Conference top three alongside the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies with a 23-14 record despite suffering two straight losses at that point. However, Zion Williamson suffered a hamstring injury that drastically derailed the Pelicans' ascent.
Since losing Williamson to injury, the Pelicans have only won two of their past 12 games, including the nine game-rut they're in at the moment. The Pelicans expected that Brandon Ingram's return from a 29-game absence was going to help them cushion the blow of Williamson's absences, but Ingram has not been able to fully shake off the rust just yet as the Pelicans continue to tumble down the standings.
It's clear that the Pelicans just need to remain afloat until Zion Williamson makes his return. After all, Williamson transforms the Pelicans from a middling team to a bonafide playoff contender with the ability to make some noise in the postseason. However, the 6'6 highflyer does not have the cleanest track record of health. The Pelicans may need to insure their squad against the possibility of a few complications in his recovery process, especially with Williamson's history of lower body injuries.
Thus, it's no surprise to see the Pelicans' potential involvement in a trade for Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby with the NBA trade deadline approaching. Anunoby would immediately improve the Pelicans' already stout defense (ranked 7th).
Even then, the Pelicans should tread carefully regarding who they trade in a potential deal. Their losing streak surely does not make them feel good at the moment, but they should not overreact to this awful stretch.
Here are two players the Pelicans will regret giving up in a potential trade.
Pelicans will regret trading away Trey Murphy III and Dyson Daniels
As mentioned earlier, the Pelicans' stars don't exactly scream durability. At this point, it's a matter of when, not if, their two young stars suffer an injury. Thus, depth is key – and the Pelicans appear to have more young and quality depth pieces than any other team in the association.
Pelicans fans may respond by saying that depth didn't necessarily help them through their awful January. That's true to an extent. And knowing the Pelicans' enviable stash of draft picks, they could very well consolidate their depth by acquiring high-end talent such as OG Anunoby.
Trading for Anunoby isn't necessarily the problem, however. It's that a trade for the 3 and D extraordinaire may necessitate the involvement of Trey Murphy III, the sweet-shooting, highflying 6'9 forward out of Virginia.
At the moment, there's no question that Anunoby is a much better and more impactful player than Murphy is. But Murphy appears to have all the makings of a crucial complementary piece to a team with championship aspirations.
Trey Murphy III did not have the best rookie year, but he has broken out in his second season, with room to grow to spare. In 29 minutes a night, Murphy is averaging 12.1 points on, most importantly, an efficient 48 percent shooting from the field, 39 percent from deep, and 92 percent from the foul line.
Once the Pelicans are back in full health, they will need players like Murphy to round out their superstar core. Murphy's size and length for the wing position also makes him a versatile piece able to hang defensively against 2s, 3s, or 4s.
At only 22, Murphy could very well develop into a more well-rounded player; the next facet of his game he needs to develop will be his ability to create shots for himself off the bounce, as well as improve his court vision. He could leverage the threat of his shooting ability to further flesh out his game. And with two years left on his rookie deal, the Pelicans should hang onto him for dear life.
It's unclear whether the Raptors would accept any trade proposal from the Pelicans without Trey Murphy III, but Toronto could instead pivot towards trying to acquire Dyson Daniels, the 6'8 guard, in return.
And the Pelicans should say no to that as well. Daniels' scoring ability may not the best at the moment. Moreover, if he isn't handling the ball, he goes missing on offense far too often, while his three-point shot needs more refinement.
But Dyson Daniels' defense is already top-notch, even more so for a rookie. With his large frame for a guard combined with his impressive agility and lateral quickness, he is able to hound opposing ball-handlers with ease. OG Anunoby may do everything Daniels does on defense at a much better level at the moment, but Daniels is just 19 years old, which means that he has a ton of time to develop into a player who has an even greater impact than Anunoby.
If anything, the Pelicans should just offer Devonte' Graham, Jaxson Hayes, and a combination of their and the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round picks for Anunoby. Should the Raptors reject their offer and ask for either Murphy or Daniels, the Pelicans should just stand pat even if their current turmoil becomes too much to bear. (The Raptors could ask for the Lakers picks, but the Pelicans should keep those too.)
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