Pelicans SHOCKING Trade Rumor: Moving Up to Draft Ace Bailey? | How Does He Fit With Zion Williamson

Pelicans SHOCKING Trade Rumor: Moving Up to Draft Ace Bailey? | How Does He Fit With Zion Williamson

there’s a wild new rumor about the Pelicans trading up into the top three of the draft but it’s not for who you think we’re going to break it down in today’s episode of Locked on Pelicans let’s [Music] go you are Locked On Pelicans your daily New Orleans Pelicans podcast part of the Locked On Network your team every day welcome to another edition of Locked On Pelicans the daily podcast covering your favorite team the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA part of the Locked On Network your team every day available wherever you get your podcast and available on YouTube i’m your host Pelicans Insider credential member of the media JakeMadison Nola Jake on Twitter here with y’all on this Monday we got a lot of shows this week we are going to be covering the draft we’re going to get into Joe Dumar’s a little bit later in the week as well you’re not going to want to miss anything on Locked On Pelicans here and of course thank you for making Locked on Pelicans your first listen today and every day we are here Monday through Friday the number one Pelicans podcast covering everything you want to know about this Pelicans team so please subscribe wherever you get your podcast and join over 11,000 Pelicans fans on YouTube as well and become an everyday dare that means you listen Monday through Friday to the Locked on Pelicans podcast and if you’re an every dare let me know in the comments down below today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans is brought to you by Monarch Money take control of your finances with Monarch Money use code locked on NBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year oh boy this was not the show that I thought I was going to be doing today a new pretty wild rumor in my opinion that’s making the rounds this comes from Kevin O’ Conor on the Kevin Oconor show with Yahoo um talking about the draft by the way one of his guests on that show Raphael Barlo of Locked on NBA Big Board just just throwing that out there the Pelicans could be interested in trading up to three or four Philadelphia 76ers or the Charlotte Hornets to draft Ace Bailey here’s the quote from Kevin O’ Conor quote “I’ve heard the Pelicans at number seven like Ace Bailey joe Dumar’s there sounds like he really likes Ace Bailey could try to trade up to number three to Philly or number four with Charlotte.” That to me is the best case scenario for the Sixers you trade down from three to seven new Orleans gets their guy and you can probably still get Malawatch i don’t know if Trey Johnson would be there at seven but Malawatch I don’t see it at four or five oh boy that’s that one’s spicy like if we’re if we’re grading this one like that rumor truthfully is probably like a an 8 and a half nine on like a scale of 1 to 10 of like how kind of wild that one is to me i’m not the biggest Ace Bailey guy and Kevin Oconor on his show was saying he’s not the biggest Ace Bailey guy either and Raphael Barlo’s not the biggest Ace Bailey guy ace Bailey is one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft and when you look at him and you know how he played in his lone season at Ruters you know there’s a lot to like but then there’s a lot of things that do concern you he came in much shorter than what we had thought coming in at 6’7 6’8 wingspan is good at 7’1 for you know a forward a kind of wing but more of a power forward here and this was a guy who in college is just a ridiculous shot maker a mid-range assassin of the highest order capable of scoring over anyone and like through anyone contested uncontested all of those things he can just make shots basically from everywhere on the court and there’s something to be said for a player that can go out and do that very raw not consistent not a good defender more on that in a second here but someone who does have a lot of upside in my opinion he’s a very good athlete too 17.6 points per game 34.6% from three 7.2 rebounds per game just very good size and as a pull-up shooter this dude frankly is elite at it right he can hit shots going to his left going to his right fade away just drive stop pull up shoot all of those he has a lot of confidence in his ability to shoot simple as that at times inconsistent but when you look at a lot of his mechanics it does look pretty good i’m trying to pull up another stat here um that’s not helpful i don’t know why my computer did that hold on there we go it This really really wants to be difficult all right there we go ace Bailey’s stats that’s what I wanted to look up you know one of the things that concerns me is the free throw percentage 69.2% is not an elite number the 34% from three is not an elite number either right those are some of the biggest concerns about him you know the shot selection is also a big concern when it comes to him you know mid-range now look make shots score and you heard Joe Dumar talking about well we’re not going to like try we’re just going to try and win games which again results are what matters here and I like that idea but at a certain point you also do need to kind of play to the modern NBA right when you look at the Pacers coming back to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in game one they did it behind the three ball it was their guys hitting threes it was their power forward in Obi Topphen splashing threes their center in Miles Turner splashing threes frankly what’s kind of wild is Tyresese Hallebert and hitting that game winner didn’t do anything to kind of help the comeback he just happened to hit the game winner here so Bailey has the ability to make shots that’s great but and very good athleticism and you can use him in a variety of different ways and he does have a pretty high work rate all of that’s a really good thing so if he’s there at seven yeah take him but trading up to get that guy concerns me because you’re gonna probably need to give up somewhat significant assets to do that like I would not give up I would not trade the seventh pick the future Indiana Pacers pick next year to go to number three to draft Ace Bailey right if Dylan Harper’s there absolutely more on him in a little bit but for Ace Bailey no and we’re going to get into this debate a little bit later in the show of drafting for fit drafting best player available drafting need all of those things right you know best player available and going with the guy with the highest ceiling is important and I’ll explain why a little bit later in today’s show i think you do that when that guy falls to you so if you’re at seven and Ace Baileyy’s there and yeah his ceiling’s higher than probably anyone else you could take in that range absolutely draft him at seven giving up other assets to go and get him no and then there’s the Zion factor now this quote you if you’re an everydayer you’ve heard me say this before you know last season I talked to someone with the team talking about Ace Bailey and his fit next to Zion Williamson and that person straight up said like there is no fit there is no fit you know they don’t fit well together because we have just seen it we saw Ace Bailey’s fit next to Zion Williamson with Brandon Ingram and that just really didn’t work the shot selection with Ace Bailey is basically the same thing as Brandon Ingram wants to be a mid-range guy that’s where he’s comfortable with and sure again make your shots go and score but you do need to shoot threes in the modern NBA and court spacing is a really important thing and Ace Bailey maybe he does that right like maybe he brings that eventually to the team but I am concerned that you’re going to just get this guy not going to fit next to Zion and then you’ve kind of just blown next year essentially in some capacity around that again hold that thought to the third segment because there is something kind of interesting when thinking about that too so again if he’s there at seven absolutely draft Ace Bailey trading up i I don’t get that one you know one of the things we’re going to talk about in the next segment and this is how I’ll transition to it is you see how important creation is in these NBA playoffs how important it is creating for others creating for yourself but really creating for others at times you know at the NBA level you’re seeing it in the playoffs look at like what Tyrese Hallebertton does to open up shot opportunities for teammates look at Shay Gildus Alexander you know who opens up shots for his teammates those are really important things i don’t really see Ace Bailey as that like elite creator for this Pelicans team we’re really just in the NBA right part of it is also you know he does get some tunnel vision where he’s just I’m dribbling dribbling i’m going to shoot now and he’s going to focus on that and not look for others and his handle’s kind of loose so you know I don’t think he is the best one to be able to kind of drive kick do some of that stuff this this just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me again if he’s there at seven like take him you you will hear me rave about the pick if Ace Bailey is the seventh overall pick to New Orleans but trading up to going and get him and giving up future assets or additional assets that does concern me I think and not something that I love i don’t know you know how much truth there is to this rumor i don’t know where Kevin Oconor got this from he’s someone I trust he’s someone I I very much enjoy his work particularly with the draft so I don’t doubt that he’s connected in hearing this in some capacity but I would not trade up for Ace Bailey would you do you agree do you disagree let me know in the comments down below let’s get into elite guard play creation all of that some of the stuff we just talked about here in today’s episode of Locked on Pelicans that is coming up next today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans is brought to you by Monarch Money ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go between dining out online shopping entertainment it’s really easy to lose track and that’s where Monarch Money comes in it’s your personal CFO 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podcast and join over 11,000 Pelicans fans on YouTube as well and become an everydayer that means you listen Monday through Friday to the Locked On Pelicans podcast and if you’re an everydayer let me know in the comments down below for your second listen today check out the Locked on NBA Big Board show nba draft expert Raphael Barlo reacts to every workout interview and rumor leading up to the NBA draft find Locked on NBA Big Board on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts so I want to get into something that I think is is very clearly a lesson that we’re learning at the NBA level right now and something that you’ve seen in the playoffs here there’s a couple we’ve talked about one of them which is you need like a not a random assortment of big men but you just need a variety of big men that do different things to be able to you know counter or force opponents to counter you at the playoff level and even during the regular season that’s why it’s I’m high on someone like um Maxim Reno and Thomas Sorber because I think they can do a lot of things that you don’t have here on this team and they’re different bigs themselves that’s why if you didn’t listen to Friday’s show you should where I talked about trading down and maybe being able to get a guard and a big in this draft rather than just sitting at seven and taking kind of what’s there like kind of go and make it work for you a little bit more especially because it does feel from people I’ve talked to around the league that you’ll be able to get more in this draft by trading down than you would in another draft that kind of goes into why I would also be concerned about trading up it sounds like this is a draft where you’re going to need to give up more to trade up because a lot of teams really want to try and do it so that’s making someone like Ace Bailey or whoever you take it three four whatever it is more expensive to do and I don’t love that idea at all so trading down getting two picks maybe one in the lottery one in the 20s i think you can still get a guard that you like or a wing you know a player that you like and then add some more depth and we’ll do another show on this probably later this week depth is going to be a really important thing for New Orleans this season and I think they’re kind of lacking it right now i don’t particularly think this is an incredibly deep team that’s going to beat you with depth like it was a couple of years ago so trading down to me makes a lot of sense when it comes to that one of the other lessons though that you’re seeing and I just talked about it a little bit in the last segment is elite guard play is driving the league right now it feels like it’s a bit of a guards league at this point in time it’s shifting a little bit more to bigs I think but overall you need elite guard play to try and lead you to championships it’s it’s just kind of the way it’s going right now you know when you look at players that are you would call offensive engines for the team it’s guards and Zion can be an offensive engine is an offensive engine too but you need guard play too and I think in terms of elite dynamic guard play the Pelicans are lacking it cj’s good he can score he can do that we saw him put up a 50-point game this season you know you have DeJonte Murray who will come back right he’s going to play again this season so they can they have good guard play but I wouldn’t necessarily call either of those guys like elite offensive engines maybe if you combined them into one that would kind of do it and they can play off of each other and play off of Zion really well too so you know a couple years ago I talked about kind of building a point guard of committee that if you looked at Zion is like 75% of or 75 so 75% of a point guard you know you have CJ who’s half a point guard and that you know ends up adding to a point guard and you can kind of get there that way i’d rather just get an elite lead guard for the team that can do what you need to do and you don’t need to do it in a peacemeal way and so staying at seven you know seems like you can potentially get that guy whether it is Jeremiah Fears whether it’s Trey Johnson I think both of those guys can do it frankly I look at Trey Johnson you know more favorably than I used to do it um partially because the size comparison is pretty good to Ace Bailey actually you know his wingspan is 611 ace Bailey’s is 71 that’s basically right there the height is about 2 in too so there is that ability as well you know kind of they’re comparable even though they played different positions just because Ace Bailey seem came in measured shorter than what we were thinking but when you look at Trey Johnson who you know was basically averaged 20 points per game in the SEC the toughest conference this year it they put produced I think the most tournament teams ever now you’re also in a period of time where conferences are bigger than they were ever before but there’s still something saying you know saying for that he’s playing against elite competition all season long and he thrived 40% from three 87% from the free throw line i think he is a better you know point guard type guy shot you know creation machine than Ace Bailey can be and you see it there is a lot more selflessness to his game than I thought there was before and so I really think that this is the type of guy that could really develop more into a point guard he’d certainly be coming into the league as a two guard you know defense is going to be a problem for him and how is that going to go with head coach Hustain and Willie Green i’m not entirely sure but for someone who works well off ball is an elite shooter can maybe show some lead guard tendencies stay at seven and just draft Trey Johnson i don’t think he’ll be there at seven i think he’s going to go five or six it seems like but if he’s not there that’s okay that’s where someone like Jeremiah Fears can come in and do a lot of the same different size different ability but again as a 17-year-old 18year-old in the SEC averaging 17.1 points per game is pretty incredible and as a downhill attacker that really opens things up that’s a fantastic thing that you absolutely need at the NBA level you know he’s less of a proven shooter than Trey Johnson is less of a proven shooter than even Ace Bailey is and you know that’s going to kind of be what makes or breaks him at the NBA level he does not have elite size he’s not a fantastic finisher around the rim either but this is a dude who has just done good things and has so much upside in my opinion that you’ve really got to consider him and you know that’s I think one of the reasons why you’re seeing him really start to kind of improve his draft position and his draft stock and be one of those risers you know he’s going to be a very good playmaker he’s got a very good handle in my opinion and the athleticism is pretty good too you just hope that the shooting numbers are really what’s going to step up and if you believe in that maybe we would be talking differently about this if Fred Vincent was still on the team you’d feel really good about that i just don’t want to trade up for Ace Bailey when you know it feels like you could get Trey Johnson or Jeremiah Fears you know at seven maybe not right you could see Trey Johnson going five i could absolutely see Jeremiah Fears going six to the Wizards that’s kind of leaving you with Conan Nipple there at seven you know but that’s maybe then when you look to trade down and maybe just take best player available which hey that’s actually a pretty good way to look at this you know and or sorry good way to segue to what I want to talk about in the next segment you know I’ve talked a lot about fit in today’s show right because this team is trying to compete next year around Zion i don’t think Ace Bailey fits next to Zion you know I I see a need for a guard but maybe you just need to go best player available highest upside and maybe that’s not one of those guys maybe it’s someone else that we haven’t talked about at this point in time maybe it’s a Cedric Coward right maybe it’s a Cayman Malawatch i think those are all very realistic options here let me let’s look at that and kind of discuss how that kind of works that’s coming up here next in today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans today’s episode of Locked on Pelicans is brought to you by Door Dash nba fans the finals are here and that means big performances and even bigger rewards and Dash Pass is bringing the heat with a slam dunk deal for Dash Pass members during the 2025 NBA playoffs it’s called They Swoosh You Score anytime a player drops 50 or more points in a playoff game Dash Pass members score a free threepiece crispy tender combo from Wingstop the very next day just place an order of $20 or more use code Wingstop 50 at checkout and that combo is yours crispy delicious totally free offer valid noon to midnight the day after the game terms apply look you ever order food in and you look at it and it’s like why is this so expensive because of all the fees and things like that but with Dash Pass you get Z delivery fees and exclusive perks like this one so sign up for Dash Pass to unlock this and more exclusive deals all finals long when any player scores 50 plus in a finals game Dash Pass members can grab a free threepiece crispy tenders combo from Wingtop the next day with with a $20 or more order and code Wingstop 50 that’s Dashpass your door to more savings more flavor and more ways to win terms apply and thank you for making Locked on Pelicans your first listen today and every day we’re here Monday through Friday the number one Pelicans podcast covering everything you want to know about this Pelicans team so please subscribe wherever you get your podcast and join over 11,000 Pelicans fans on YouTube as well and become an everydayer that means you listen Monday through Friday to the Locked On Pelicans podcast for your second listen today locked on Saints with host Ross Jackson part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day he’s making sense of everything black and gold what’s Tyler Shook going to look like when it comes to preeason training camp all of that ross Jackson’s covering everything black and gold over at the Locked On Saints podcast make them your second listen today so we just talked a lot about fit need and I see some fit problems needs for the Pelicans but is it better to just go with best player available and truthfully the answer to that is yes particularly at seven go with the guy you think is the highest upside don’t worry about fit don’t worry about need you know when you think about how quickly rosters change over in an NBA team you know unless you’re a team like the Celtics or the Thunder where you’re kind of done doing this a little bit differently you’re turning over a lot of your roster regularly and so if that’s going to be the case don’t worry about fit next to those guys if they’re only going to be on the team for a season or two and you’re trying to plan for a five-year window and I think that’s something that’s worth keeping in mind when I look at some of the guard play here and it’s like no no no no you need a guard but if an elite guard isn’t available take someone else and don’t basically force it you know with Ace Bailey you know if he’s there at seven take him there’s no fit with Zion in my opinion or not much of one maybe there would be but doesn’t appear to be so but if he’s there at seven just take him and then if your season goes sideways you can pivot you could trade Zion you could release him later whatever it might be and then at that point in time you still have your high upside guy and now you can build around that player that’s worth keeping in mind when it comes to the draft i think sometimes even I lose sight of that you know I also think the Pelicans are trying to kind of look at a little bit of two timelines which I don’t always think is great right you know they’re they’re trying to compete next season they don’t want to go through a rebuild look they want to win there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win and so they’re going to go for it and the problem with that is like great do it but if it doesn’t work out you do need to be able to pivot then at that point in time but also then do you if what is the highest priority here is it to win next year or is it to think long term and so maybe because of that you’re going with a guy that you feel is just more NBA ready or has a higher floor but lower ceiling that’s what makes this so interesting for the Pelicans right now you know if you had just pivoted to a rebuild and they’re not doing that let’s be clear you could do whatever you want in the draft now if you’re not doing that it does make me wonder if you can do whatever you want in the draft or do you need to try and maximize this next season as much as possible because it does feel so pivotal and I’m tired of every year being the most pivotal year for the New Orleans Pelicans but that’s just kind of how it’s been in the Zion era so you know does that impact how you draft it shouldn’t right it shouldn’t impact your draft strategy the players you’re looking at and all of that but realistically it might and I think that’s something that the Pelgans are going to need to be able to you know they’re going to need to be able to manage that and the expectations that come with wanting to compete next season you know if you weren’t building around Zion you could do this differently but if you are then you do need to worry a little bit about fit if it’s like we’re still committed to Zion we’re not planning on getting rid of him like he’s our guy going forward like you do need to think about fit a little bit more so than say a team like the Washington Wizards who like yeah I I don’t know what we got here we got to kind of figure it out or the Utah Jazz right like that’s kind of what it is you know that’s why everyone’s questioning Dylan Harper at two to the San Antonio Spurs because that doesn’t really make sense with the group of guys that they have there right cooper flag makes a ton of sense you know when you look at the Charlotte Hornets like are they interested in Ace Bailey if he’s there because you have um Brandon Miller and some of the other players like I’m not entirely sure so that’s what makes this so interesting that’s why everyone’s putting VJ Edgecom to the Charlotte Hornets because that pick makes a ton of sense for them the fit there the need there makes an absolute ton of sense but they could go in any direction and you know potentially be okay i don’t know if New Orleans can do that given the way that they’re kind of built and what their you know ultimate goals are for next season that it’s what makes this draft kind of interesting we’re going to get a pretty good idea of how this Pelicans front office thinks and what they also think about the future when it comes to how they’re going to end up drafting during well the upcoming NBA draft which is going to be here before you know it all right that’s going to do it for this episode of Locked On Pelicans as always I’m your host Jake Madison at Nola Jake on Twitter i appreciate you all listening so much we are part of the Lockdown podcast network your team every day more on Joe Dumars interesting thought that came up talking with someone um that’s coming up here later in the week see y’all next time

Pelicans eyeing Ace Bailey? NBA draft rumors heat up as New Orleans considers bold move.

Jake Madison breaks down the potential trade-up scenario for Bailey, analyzing his fit alongside Zion Williamson. The importance of elite guard play in today’s NBA takes center stage, with Madison exploring how it could shape the Pelicans’ draft strategy. Balancing immediate competitiveness with long-term planning, the host dissects the “best player available” vs. team needs debate.

Tune in for expert insights on the Pelicans’ crucial draft decisions and how they could impact Zion’s future in New Orleans.

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