Who thought the New Orleans Pelicans would be the top seed in the Western Conference? From eighth seed last season without Zion Williamson, New Orleans has catapulted itself to the top of the West with numerous of their stars like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum still missing several games due to injuries and COVID, respectively.

The core of this Pelicans squad is set in stone already for the foreseeable future, and they still have a plethora of draft picks from the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday deals. Furthermore, they may consider a couple of upgrades before the February 9th trade deadline, and they have the pieces for those deals to occur. With the success in the Big Easy, the pressure to execute any kind of deal is not immense, but these are some predictions for their squad.

2. Devonte' Graham and Jaxson Hayes will be traded

This may seem boring to some fans, but the Pelicans will not move any of their main rotational pieces before the trade deadline. They will find a way to have substantial upgrades on their wing depth, especially with the injury-prone career of both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Also, the point guard position could be improved because CJ McCollum has been used to playing the 2 throughout his career.

With those marginal upgrades on their mind, they will need to move a couple of players, and the ones that come to mind are both Devonte' Graham and Jaxson Hayes. The initial reason is that a combination of both their salaries will equate to close to $18 million, which is more than enough to bolster their team. Moreover, Graham and Hayes are not an integral part of their rotation, so it will not disrupt the rhythm and chemistry of the roster.

Since the majority of this roster is young, they may prioritize adding veterans who will be a massive boost in their postseason run. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets elevate their production at the biggest stage, so the Pelicans will need to prove that their success is not limited to the regular season.

1. The rest of the roster will remain until the offseason

With Zion Williamson returning to full strength, he will need a substantial amount of time to mesh with his teammates. Even CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. are in their first full season with the Pelicans, so the front office must allot them at least the whole 2022-23 season to gauge if they will need to execute any big moves for them to reach championship-caliber status. 

The scintillating start is one primary reason why the organization must stay put with the core and give them the repetitions necessary for these young guys. The bench is also deep for the Pelicans with players like Nance Jr., Jose Alvarado, and Trey Murphy III leading the charge. The drafting of this New Orleans franchise must be commended as they have not seemed to miss any of their choices. To cap it off, Brandon Ingram has missed 13 games already, and it hasn't really affected this team.

Some of the key pieces like Herbert Jones and Jonas Valanciunas are still struggling to find their rhythm, and it seems imperative that they will improve by the All-Star break at the very least. These two players do not need to score to be effective in their particular roles, so they will not affect the usage or shots of McCollum or Williamson. Fans intrigued with trades are looking forward to the Pelicans making a splash, but it does not seem that will occur this year.