Post Brandon Ingram New Orleans Pelicans Rebuild

Post Brandon Ingram New Orleans Pelicans Rebuild

there was so much crazy at the 2025 trade deadline I feel like the Brandon Ingram trade just came and went he got sent to the Toronto Raptors for Kelly Ock Bruce Brown and a future first round pick from the Indiana Pacers that the Raptors got in the SE yakum deal and I feel like it just wasn’t talked about a lot but yeah the Brandon Ingram era in New Orleans is over he was the main piece that came back in that 2019 Anthony Davis trade what is going on everybody how is everybody doing today I am intrigued and very excited about this Pelicans rebuild today now that they no longer have Brandon Ingram on their team they didn’t want to pay Brandon Ingram the $40 million a year that he got from the Toronto Raptors because shortly after the trade he sign a threeyear $120 million extension with the Raptors which I don’t know BR and Ingram at 40 million a year maybe you don’t think he’s worth it just for what he’s been in the past and how he’s been injured at times now this allows Trey Murphy to turn into maybe a good number two option behind Zion the thing with Zion like it’s been another disappointing year with him being able to stay healthy on the floor but when he’s been out there he’s been so good he’s been such a dominant score when he’s health and he’s still just 24 years old and then obviously Deonte Murray just tearing his Achilles sucks because I don’t know if they would do that trade again if they had the option just to see what Dyson Daniels is doing this year you get the Lakers pick which may not be that great then also that Buc pick down the line but either way the Pelicans have been probably the most decimated team with injuries this year Ingram was hurt Zion Murphy CJ McCullum Alvarado Deonte Murray Jordan Hawk and turb Jones have all had their fair share of injuries and this was a team that was supposed to be kind of in the middle of the pack of the the Western Conference could they end up being like a four or five seed could they be a nine or or 10 seed and this year they’re going to end up as either the 15th seed or the 14th seed in the west but this court is still under contract going forward like this Zion contract they can actually cut him and they don’t have to pay a single dollar more but why do that Zan is still such a productive player when he’s on the floor and he’s under contract for the next four years Deon Murray under contract for the next three years as well because he got extended in Atlanta McCullum for the next two years but I think him being a one-year deal worth $30.6 million is going to be somewhat of a trade piece in the off season the Trey Murphy extension kicks in herb Jones is on a good value deal you’re going to have one year left of Alin you have Hawkins Mei on their rookie deals Alvarado’s on a fairly cheap deal and we’re definitely going to look to bring back Bruce Brown in the off season I saw reports that like I don’t know could they buy him out no he’s probably uh like they they wanted him in New Orleans just to have another Wing connecting piece that they could definitely resign in the off season so this team is 13- 42 I wonder if 2K will bump us above the UT Jazz but I’m just hoping the 2025 Lottery gods are nice to me and Nicole yic ends up winning MVP this year not Shay Gil just Alexander alexar Rookie of the Year okay how about that Bobby poris win six men of the year I feel like Bobby poris has definitely won um a six men of the year in the past right oh maybe that is his first I think he’s just been a finalist a bunch so I don’t think we’re going to get anybody on the all NBA teams and I do think like I was going back and forth today if I wanted to put injuries on but I think for the Pelicans specifically I think it’s I think it’s right to have injuries in on just because they’re always going to have the Zion injury scare looming while he’s in New Orleans shout out to ye Mei getting on all rookie first team it looks like they hit on that pick for sure so yeah you know what I was going back and forth if I wanted injuries on um and we’re going to do it I think and obviously to No Surprise we didn’t make the playing tournament we finished with a 22 and 60 record so as I expected we did Le frog the Utah Jazz we finished with the third worst record in the NBA like I said a lot is going to rely on the lottery gods for us so at least this team is very talented for 14c that’s why I think this could be like a nice retool year I know it’s things you no longer have Brandon Ingram but you have your franchise player if he can stay healthy and Z you have Trey Murphy who’s had some really impressive scoring outings this year you have the McCullum trade piece in the offseason you have your starting point guard in Deon Murray you have one of the best Wing defenders in the league in herb Jones hey even like Brandon Boston has shown some flashes this year with all the injuries you got a former lottery pick in Hawkins you got the impressive rookie NBC you have veteran Talent on this team where I think the Pelicans could definitely make the playoffs in 26 it’s just they need to stay healthy they definitely have the resources to have a ton of depth and they’re going to need to allocate those resources accordingly in the offseason so Dallas beat Memphis New York beat Cleveland we have the Jaylen Brunson christops porzingis bowl and the Mavericks win in seven with Kyrie Irving dropping 38 points throughout seven games to get finals MVP so there goes LeBron he ends up retiring I always gotta like I accidentally put uh his farewell tour on um so I got to stop doing that when I start these rebuilds but I just don’t think of it cuz I’m like I’m not controlling the Lakers and it is it’s time here for the draft lottery I’m still TBD if I’m going to keep Willie Green as our head coach at least this year but we’ll see so let’s see where our Lottery ball finishes all right so here we are at pick seven I’m not sure if we could fall to seven it would be funny as as I was saying that we did I we can definitely fall a six so they are projecting us to be pick six which would be kind of a bummer all right there we go so I think I don’t know I think we could still be number five so I’m not going to be super hyped that we didn’t show up there at number six so let’s figure out where we are we are not at five all right so I am starting to get very confident that we are going to get a top three pick unless we are here at number four but let’s find out and damn it never mind okay so we’re not getting a top third pick we win the fourth overall pick so we’re not going to get Cooper Flag in New Orleans the odds of us getting Ace baay or Dylan Harper dropped a ton VJ edcom Caspar Shak chonis Trey Johnson all possibilities on the board at number four do we want to reach on Kon Valu watch I think it’s probably a reach for Jeremiah fears or one of the shooters unless I do want to trade down that’s a possibility as well Toronto gets Brandon Ingram at the deadline and they land the third overall pick Philly oh my God Cooper flag at least he’s going to the Eastern Conference so Miami moves up in the lottery which is insane at number two and then these 76ers are going to get the number one overall pick wow if you would have showed somebody this to begin the year you would be like all right the Raptors that could make sense but Miami with the second pick and Philly with one even the Pelicans at four you’d be like what happened this year so I think the Sixers have like some nice Lottery lock but the Miami Heat Lottery lock was insane for them um this year as they won 35 games they were the 10 seed they were playing tournament team and they moved up so yeah we do have the fourth pick will green does have two years left on his deal I mean Nick nurse got fired I wouldn’t mind going after him but he does have four deals so if like I didn’t get Nick nurse do I go after will hardy who got fired I think we are going to fire Willie Green I think we’re going to try to bring a new error here I don’t know if that would mean trading away Zion Williamson which I do not want to do today I’d like to win with Zion but we’re going to see if Nick nurse would want to come down to New Orleans um James burgo I don’t mind promoting him head coach it’s nice cuz that can’t get blocked cuz he is my coach so I think we could promote him um and then I’ll give will hardy but I think I would choose the uh the new Option of bgo over Hardy so I want a Nick nurse we don’t get Nick nurse so we are going to promote James bgo to the head coaching position all right I’m going to do this trade now I did just finish recording my new look Buck rebuild with kusma and I don’t want anything to do with kosma right now but I do think this is a good trade for us I do get the kusma trade asset for the next two years at around $20 million it’s not the end of the world I could definitely move it next off season and he’s not going to start for us I’m not going to have him as like my number three option like I did um in my bucker build I hope you guys are seeing this after the buckser build but I’m getting Milwaukee’s outright pick in 2028 or my outright pick we have the swap or no that swap may go to yeah I think that swap is currently going to Atlanta so I’m going to get the other version of that swap excuse me no it’s clearly going to Portland and that is from the Dame trade so we’re getting that swap swap Bo it’s maybe not going to be great but hey if Portland and Milwaukee are both Lottery teams I’m getting a lottery pick I’m getting the kozma trade asset and they’re creating a big three of Giannis Dame and CJ mccu oh wait that’s kind of funny yeah Dam and CJ teaming up in Milwaukee screwed that’s kind of dope so I did want to trade CJ mccan hey we did get a a good scoring Wing in Kyle kma I mean I don’t know if Kyle kma is a culture changer um or like somebody to change the culture in New Orleans so maybe that’s something we’re going to have to keep an eye on uh going forward so Cooper flag to No Surprise goes to Philadelphia at number one Miami at number two I’m feeling Ace Bailey here um oh my God they take trade Johnson all right well that means Dylan Harper and or well or oh man Ace Bailey I don’t know if I really love the ace Bailey fit with Trey Murphy and Zion here in New Orleans um but that is going to be who we’re going to select as Dylan Harper ends up going to the Raptor so I could trade down I mean this is an intriguing offer I’m not doing it just because I don’t think Miles Bridges really soles a lot but going down to seven and they go up and get Ace Bailey I mean I could maybe rework this deal the Nets are willing to give me CAM John son and pick 10 that’s also a really good deal but I just got Kyle kozma this one’s even a shocker yeah I guess teams really want to go up and get Ace Bailey Anthony Simons one year left on his deal I just don’t know if we need like an Anthony Simons the players I’m getting back here aren’t great but you know what I want to revisit this Hornet steel so say we did five um and they have what is it seven or I’m giving them four you’re giving me seven and I’m going to really hope that Liam McNeely is there at seven um and they do own some other draft Capital going forward so could I get two other first round picks in this deal so could I land three first round picks to go down three spots and basically say we don’t want Ace Bailey would they agree to that uh they are going to say we would want kellyo Wick in a swap which I don’t really want to do that I mean I don’t mind throwing in kellyo winck um but I would rather throw in Antonio Reeves and I would throw in Carlo uh makovic here would they do this um do I have a second round pick in this draft I do not so let’s see if they would do this uh they would counter with a 29 first for Josh Green I don’t really want Josh green I mean if Kell winck is the reason this gets done I should probably do it even though I wanted to keep Kelly I would be basically moving down three spots trading guys that I didn’t plan on being my rotation and Kelly oen was kind of like a one-year backup five and I get this Miami pick I get this swap in 26 which may not be great um but I also just mov down three spots and they are going to agree to that so that was a pretty big trade and they end up moving up to take Ace Bailey so they have Ace Bailey and Bren Miller that’s exciting who knows maybe VJ edcom is there at seven that’s somebody I could have taken um at number four as J Goron goes okay um he goes five to Washington and at number six it’s Derek Queen so VJ edcom is still on the board as well all right I want to see if I can get more draft picks I do would I be able to move I don’t know this uh I get this 28 first swap best between Portland and Milwaukee that might be good and pick nine for pick seven um they say no damn I don’t really have any other players that I could throw in this deal because I did trade like I’m not trading away any players to move down sadly I mean could I get I don’t know this first round pick instead um they’re going to say no all right they’re not interested in that how about the Nets uh giving me pick eight I don’t know how much they would value this like could I get 8 and 26 to move down one spot they say no uh what about if it’s pick 37 would you do that okay so I guess I really can’t find a team that would move up one spot final attempt at this the Nets do own Pick 10 so I’d be moving down three spots and I would also be getting the 26th pick in this draft as well would they do this they do okay so I moved down another three spots kind of risky I’m really hoping Le mcne is on the board for us and there goes VJ Edgecomb um at number seven I’m really nervous uh mcne is going to go I know it I know it all right let’s see if we can work a draft I trade for mcney he’s the guy I wanted here oh man they really want this swap in 27 that I should have just taken mcne there I just didn’t want to stomach taking mcne over VJ edcom because I feel like that would have came with some backlash and there goes Alex Alex caraban kind of high I definitely wasn’t going to take him there so we are on the clock here at number 10 kaspar shaku chonas is here K can nipple here asen’s here but I think I’m going to go with Kaman Malu watch I don’t know if youi is like the long-term answer there I think Jeremiah FS could also have been a Target Ben sah um I don’t mind kasparis which I’m going to go back and forth between casparis and Kaman Mayu watch like who do I prefer to get on this team you know what if there is going to be a plan B to Deon Murray I should have it and I’m going to end up with kasparis who I do still think is like the fifth best player in this class unless this game makes no sense and I could just do casparis for mcne um I I don’t want to throw in draft capital casparis is our guy and I really like getting Thomas sorber who who recently just suffered an injury which kind of stinks for Georgetown but I do think he has potential to be the second best run protector in this draft after Kanan so that is going to be our draft we made a decent amount of moves um we ended up moving down from pick four to pick 10 we got kaspar Shak shones and we were able to get Thomas sorber out of that so basically by moving down in two different trades I was able to get this swap worst with Memphis next year I was able to get this Miami Heat water protected pick I was able to get Thomas sorber but I did have to trade away Antonio Reeves Carl makovich and Kelly but hey I’m more excited about Thomas sorber as the back of five then o linck we’re definitely picking up the team option on Jordan Hawkins we are going to give Brandon Boston Jr the only uh qualifying offer there and then we do want to bring back Bruce Brown I do hope 2K allows me to resign him and that is going to be the case I’m going to get him back on a three-year deal but it’s two years guaranteed 30 years of Team option at 4 million a year that is great for what the role player Bruce Brown can be we’re going to give Jeremiah Robinson Earl since injuries are on I want to have a lot of depth a one-year deal javante green a one-year deal and then I think maybe the only move here um I am going to bring back Brandon Boston who got a deal from the Rockets he actually got two years $11 million we are going to match that and yeah the last deal of free agency I’d like to just get like a third string Center um I think we’re going to try to bring in Musa diabet I know I say diabetes sometimes which I apologize um I think it was just more of a runny joke in the Hornet build and hey we got him in on a two-year deal as Nas Reed went to the Lakers and we got Keon Brooks back on the qualifying offer Trey Murphy does regress which not sure why but something to keep an eye on herb Jones um I’m going to change his position definitely to the shooting guard spot hopefully we don’t get to Jon Murray or hopefully we get him back soon cuz I would like to make the playoffs next year before the season starts I’m going to Ink up herb Jones on a nice threeyear $48 million extension so now he’s under control 5 years 76 million I like that and we do need to release somebody before the season starts I didn’t want to bring him back but 2K did Keon Brooks you will be getting released so uh Russell Westbrook is going to retire at the end of the year we are going to be without Deonte Murray um no actually looks like he’s good to go and before I do anything I do want to change herb Jones’s position to a uh small forward yeah that’s good with me all right so this is going to be the rotation it’s definitely subject to change obviously injuries can change it a bunch but it’s going to be Deon Murray herb Jones Trey Murphy Zion and Mei that’s pretty good now I do worry about the floor spacing outside of Trey Murphy there’s not like a super consistent three-point shooter out of this group so we’ll keep an eye on that we’re going to have Hawkins as a six-man uh db8 is going to be the backup five he’s just a little bit better than sorber right now and I’m trying to win and then we’re going to have kman Bruce Brown get about 17 minutes a night uh we’re going to have alvaran about 14 minutes tonight so yeah the rookies are going to have to earn it in sorber nakes I got to change both their names but Brandon Boston um could also be one of the first guys in under our new Ed coach James burgo uh he is perimeter Centric we will go to that three stars let’s see how we look in the first game of the year we do lose by seven to the Pistons sadly when is our first win going to come um I’m not going to be doing that trade all right we lose game two don’t lose game three there we go we win 142 130 I’m against the Nuggets Zion is 30 and 10 Deon is 29 5 five and four and only one turnover in in that game impressive stuff all right so at the dead mine we are around 500 we are 27 and 25 we have been pretty healthy this year we’ve had minor injuries and zans had like four come up but I don’t think he’s actually missed any time has he played all 52 games for us this year he has which is incredible I will definitely take that and he’s averaging 23.7 points eight and a half rebounds four and a half assists he’s doing all this in 32 minutes a night so we’re trying to soften the minutes per game to keep him a little bit healthier ye me’s numbers are pretty similar to what his rookie year has been Trey Murphy I mean the points per game are nice at like 17 and a half but 41 34 84 splits are not where I would like to see it herb Jones 42 32 81 splits but we have them out there because of the defense Murray’s averaging 175 and five as well as two steals per game we look at Hawkins as a six-man High field goal percentage High three point percentage maybe that’s what you’re going to get Musa diab um diab I’m going to now uh think about it every time I say his name he’s averaging n and eight yeah dude kind of a beast in this game maybe we get him in the starting lineup there’s kozma Off the Bench collecting his nice $2 million paycheck there’s Bruce Brown Jose Alvarado who has struggled a little bit this year and we are actually going to trade Jose Alvarado to the Cavs they’re looking to add some defense I’m getting Dean Wade to basically make the money work I don’t believe he’s under contract next year so it’s an expiring deal Alvarado had a player option he could opt out of I am throwing my 2032 and I am getting a swap Wars between Utah and Cleveland 28 not expecting that pick to be anything good but hey I think it’s something for us and now we can free up a little bit minutes or a couple more minutes for our number 10 overall pick Caspar shakon so we’re gonna probably stick with the 10-man rotation I think for this team right now I think I’m going to get it diabet into the starting five diabet I’m going to do it every time um mus is going to get 28 minutes we’ll go 20 to Hawkins um or excuse me 20 to Mei there we go brutal injury here Jordan Hawkins breaks his right ankle he’s out one to two months and hey this is why you get the wing depth and he was shooting the ball better for sure so that’s probably going to allow more minutes for Kyle kozma and Bruce Brown I think they’re each going to get like 22 minutes a night I think we may stick um with the I mean no no I think I’m actually going to get Brandon Boston in there for the first time this year cuz we’ve been healthy let’s get him about 9 Minutes a night oh man in the final week of the year Trey merphy tears his right Achilles is out for the year so Deonte Murray uh tears his Achilles Last year Trey Murphy this year and he was playing well damn that is a shame we did just get Jordan Hawkins basically back in the final week but we are 40 and 39 we are currently the seventh seed in the Western Conference so we’ll see where we end up we do beat the Hawks can we beat the Jazz yes we can to end up as the seven seed this year in 26 Cooper flag is your Rookie of the Year Josh Kitty six man wemi takes home deoy Jaylen Tyson most improved okay wemi Luca Giannis Cade and Shay on first team are we going to get a Zion Williamson we do Zion Williamson mix all MBA third team um and playing just what 31 minutes a night I will definitely take that shout out to khle wear on all rookie second team already in year number two that is very impressive uh there is a Bailey who I know is going to put up points in Charlotte I just don’t know about that fit in New Orleans honestly I think edcom would make a ton of of sense and hey maybe we can revisit the leam mcne idea in the off season so we’re going up against the Nuggets we’re going to get at least two home play in games if we can’t win one of them we definitely don’t deserve to be here we had Zion Williamson finish as our leading score followed by Murphy Murray Hawkins kozma and Musa which is kind of crazy honestly nine points nine rebounds in about 23 minutes a night his per 36 would have looked like Prime Andre jumm so let’s see if we’re able to beat the Nuggets and advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed or going to be playing in the eight seated playing game we do have a not a great third quarter we only scored 17 points I mean we’re only down by seven right now Murray’s having a good game Zion is getting to the free throw line a ton he’s taking 19 free throws we’re down by four down by five down by three a minute 50 to go all right so you got Murray versus Murray if n Deon is not even out there I don’t know if he got hurt but they got Russ out there right now I’d love that KY kma’s in this game KY Cruz went to jont on the same team would be kind of wild herb Jones good looking three but he misses it that would have tied it up Brown against his former team I didn’t even think about that as well uh Russ he finds oh God the best three-point shooter on the floor and he missed it oh wow we are lucky Zion picks up rebound number 12 he’s got 27-2 Russ guarding Zion is kind of electric too because of their athleticism um we got kma no kick that out ah God we have Murray wide open Murray please I need that to tie it up de Jon Murray bang he’s got 29 Points knocks down a massive three to tie it up at 118 but Zion is guarding yic I mean oh Z got the steal oh my God that’s what I’m talking about on a yic post entry kozma cutting to the rim oh please kozma I hate you oh my God damn it I I don’t know that’s on me I shouldn’t have taken that shot uh oh wow Bruce Brown strips jokic’s former teammate come on Bruce Brown find kma Trail into the rim out to Murray another wide open three will 2K give him two bang Deon Murray hits another massive three to give us the lead that is insane oh my God that is electric all all right do who do I want as a small forward I’ll keep it as Hawkins wow all right the fact that Bruce Brown stripped yeah Bruce Brown strips jic incredible stuff and like Russ I can kind of leave open from three if we want to double team the post entry give that steal oh what are you doing deant Murray with the steel up to Zion I mean I don’t want to take a bad shot here it does suck we don’t have uh Trey Murphy right now so Deonte Murray trying to get a pick and roll here uh kicking his Zion inside go oh oh my God he just posterizes Aaron Gordon I was going to have an man at the top of the key it didn’t matter Zion hyping up the pelic crowd as we’re going to make it to the playoffs as long as we don’t choke this five-point lead oh joic though gets a good look for three and he misses it Hawkins with the rebound and that should do it all right so we make the play in tournament we ended up um we’re going to be taking on the Dallas Mavericks we won 128 121 we outscored them by 17 points in the fourth quarter oh my God look at this imagine Twitter Zion took 28 free throws one player taking 28 free throws is is insane so we’re taking on the Mavericks who did win the NBA finals last year the reigning western conference champions we do win game one by 20 okay herb Jones drops 23 Murray and Zion come on for 30 didn’t even shoot the ball all that well and we won by 20 we do win game two 1401 29 zan with 25 Deonte with 22 kozma knocks down eight free throws casparis has looked good so far in his first two playoff games we do lose game three by eight points here we are game number four that is going to go to Dallas they win 143 W 123 all right so we won the first two they won the next two make that the next three damn we got out uh scored ah damn just in general like that second half was not kind to us we lose 146 112 here we go game six and we do lose four in a row all right so we were up 2 and then we lost four in a row which is pretty disappointing I don’t know if I’m going to put that on James bgo but the fact that we you know what at least won two playoff games I’m okay with that we are heading in the right direction and we were missing our third best player in Trey Murphy so Shay and Kade are your conference finals MVPs that’s electric and let’s see who wins the NBA Finals it is the thunder I am not shocked um and Shay gets Finals MVP for the first time in his career uh so we see Lopez Russ Drew Pelicans Legend um retire also kind of shocked that uh Paul George got into the Hall of Fame I feel like he could be a 50-50 guy when it’s all said and done but he’s he’s probably going to get in um so let’s see here do we have anything yep Milwaukee I really hope the buck rebu came out but I did give the Pelicans the number one pick in the 26 draft hopefully we can get this same kind of luck here that is not going to be the case oh my God it drops to seven that is that kind of stinks so we have the seventh pick via the Bucks that is from The Drew Holiday trade we do have the 16th overall pick via the Pacers from the Brandon Ingram trade um and we do have memphis’s pick at 23 that was from the trade down last year I’m in the Bucks do own our pick at 17 so we have three first round picks I’m sadly probably not going to end up with like a I mean we could trade up like we do have the assets we have 7 16 23 I would try get like Darren Peterson but I I have a feeling I mean like the Thunder jeez man like they’re going to add AJ and they can add Cameron Boozer it’s funny too because those picks wouldn’t go to them actually I think the Miami pick would be unprotected but Utah’s pick I think that would still have a protection on it I want to see if Daren Peterson makes it to three and that is a player I could trade up for so AJ goes number one I mean the Thunder they’re going to take Peterson aren’t they I just have a feeling they’re not going to take Cameron Boozer um oh my God they’re actually trading the pick I wish I knew it was available oh my God the Box are trading Damien lard for pick two all right well uh they’re going to take Peterson yep they take Peterson damn it that’s the guy I wanted and then the Hornets are going to snag Cameron Boozer at number three well yeah Damen Lillard for Darren Peterson that is insane that is the guy I wanted and the fourth pick was traded for kawh wiard oh my God we saw Dame traded for two Kawai for four they take Malik Thomas out of Yukon there goes Caleb Wilson out of Kentucky and then darus Huff out of Arkansas so with this pick I’m going to take Jaylen harelson a 67 guard out of Kansas there goes na men out of Houston number nine is Chris Sak to the Lakers number 10 is co Pete to the Blazers Bryson I think his name is last name is tiller like the rapper um and then you have JQ oh my God man the Thunder Talent is insane I mean they don’t need a Damen Ward so I don’t know why they made that trade and then I’m going to take Kareem Lopez out of Mexico here with the 16th pick and then I’m going to take I think City uh no I’m going to go Dash Daniels another Wing I just took three Wings in this draft um here at 23 yes so we don’t uh we’re not able to snag one of the top guys but we get harelson Lopez and dash Daniels so we drafted Dyson Daniels back in 2022 come in Full Circle going to pick up the team option on Mei and Hawkins we don’t have any qualifying offers all right I’m going to trade KY kusma to the Atlanta Hawks for this swap warse between us and Milwaukee in 27 so I assume that pick’s going to be in the 20s but we’re going to give the Hawks a solid score in Kyle kozma so the Kyle kozma era in New Orleans is done but I did have like some wings that we going to get some playing time next year like JN harison I would like for Hawkins to get more time maybe Kareem Lopez cracks the rotation and I could sign somebody with my mid level exception but I think I’m gonna hold off on that right now I think the only player I’m going to sign is just to try to add some power forward depth and I’m going to grab veteran uh Grant Williams the basically replace Jeremiah Robinson Earl so I’m going to renounce threes on these guys and I did create a $19.5 million trade exception from the kozma deal and look at this Kevin Durant replaces Kawai in LA but Luca donic wow replaces Damon Milwaukee they were able to sign Luca after that deal Darren Fox gets changed to shooting guard and then goes to portwind okay all right so Zion 91 overall there’s herb Jones going up to an 85 I guess because of the positional change there’s y Mei who’s going to start for us again Yak chonas I feel like I definitely spelled his last name wrong but I’m too wzy to go look it up instead of uh as it’s is there we go I knew it looked off we’re going to try to resign Jordan Hawkins to a three-year deal with $30 million to try to get below market value and I think that’s the case and I know it would have been nice to have probably Darren Peterson this year as my starting shooting guard but we are going to be missing I think Trey Mur at least for the start of the year so I think it’s going to be like Musa 14 minutes Thomas sber 10 minutes and Mei 24 minutes equals 48 I think gaku chonis can get around 18 minutes a night which means probably going to keep Murray getting 30 let’s go 20 H we could probably go 28 to Herb Jones let’s go about 22 to Bruce Brown and then Off the Bench like we could have Brandon Boston getting minutes but it could also be Jordan Hawkins I’d like for Jay uh harelson to get some minutes um he can get about 16 and then we can get Kareem Lopez in there until uh Trey Murphy comes back which is going to be uh how long from now because he tore oh my God 46 months that is brutal because he tore it at the end of last year season so he’s going to miss I don’t know I mean he may come back earlier than that just because 2K is 2K but we get off to an 0 and three start and then he we did win three in a row so we are three and four to start off the season if we look at the stats Z is averaging 20.9 points Murray all right only 13.7 very interesting stuff man Zion has had so many injuries this year and this is the most serious one he br breaks his left leg and he’s out 6 day weeks we did get Trey Murphy back which is nice but like come on this is why I put injuries on because this is what you’re going to get with Zion and it’s a shame too cuz we are 26 and um 18 right now so I think we’re going to operate maybe Trey Murphy at the four herb Jones at the three and let’s get Jordan Hawkins in there at the two spots so I think mer uh Deon M can get like 36 minutes tonight same with Murphy let’s go about honestly 27 uh there to Hawkins I did sign Grant Williams who honestly has been needed more than ever now because of the injury to Zion and then we can allow a couple more minutes to the young guys so I know this is kind of like out of order but it’s basically like yaku chonis brown and Boston getting minutes and then um these guys are kind of all splitting minutes as well but Thomas sorber has been nice here in year number two so it is the trade dead mine and we are 29 and 22 which puts us as the five seed in the Western Conference we do have um a positive Point differential which is great to see and we are doing this without Zion Williamson but he’s going to be back shortly after the deadline and we do have a lot of depth on this team like we do and I think that’s going to help us with these injuries so honestly I mean looking at the team right now any pending free agents I guess Brandon Boston is a free agent at the end of the year um I I guess I could see how much he’s asking for and if it’s above my price range we could look to trade him he’s not eligible for a contract extension sadly so you know what I think I’m just going to keep the team as it is and then I don’t know if we try to consolidate some of the depth in the off season and boom we get Zion back I don’t know what it is with Trey Murphy getting hurt in the final week of the year but he breaks his left ankle really like Zion’s already dealing with an injury you can’t make this up and yic wins another MVP award Cameron Boozer rookie of the year the third overall pick jakc ravia is your Sixth Man of the Year in Atlanta and we didn’t get Zion on an all-nba team Trey young is in Phoenix now but we did finish the year as the six seed so hey um we are going to get Zion Williamson back for the playoffs fully healthy which is nice to see we finished with a 42 and 40 record so that earned you a six seed in the west made a negative Point differential we’re going up against Dallas once again in round one they beat us last year in six we’ll see if that’s going to be the same result this year so Trey Murphy I mean 41 36 91 splits it’s fine um maybe not the greatest stuff in the world dejonte Murray I don’t know if we’re going to maybe look to move him I think he or maybe it’s not fully guaranteed so is it a team option that may get declined like that may get declined in the off season and jonay Murray Pelicans era may be over e MEC put up about 10 and a half points nine rebounds definitely the best year of his career I think Brandon Boston was great for us stepped in into a much larger role Jordan Hawkins shot 38% from three Jaylen Harrison show some flashes Jau chonas in year number two maybe showing that he could be the guy for us going forward at the point guard spot Bruce Brown 45% from the field and then obviously like we had Grant Williams play a ton of minutes because Zion was hurt this year so I think for the playoffs we’re going to go probably no Thomas sorber even though he was good for us and I think he’s going to be the backup center if I don’t bring back Musa next year I think Musa can get about 15 minutes aight because I’m going to go 33 to Yi I’m going to plays on 37 minutes a night I’m going to go about 18 yakush shones which means just about 30 to De jonte Murray I do want herb Jones at the two um and we’re going to get Brandon Boston at the three Boston’s going to get around 27 minutes we’re going to go 31 to Herb Jones uh Bruce Brown can get around 24 minutes a night Hawkins can get around 20 minutes a night um we can go honestly maybe a little bit more let’s go 38 to Zion um let’s go 33 to Herb and then we can see what Deon could do with 32 minutes a night so we’re taking on the Mavericks I do think they’re going to beat us I don’t know how many games but I do think they’re going to end up uh beating us they do win by two points to start things off hey Zion dropped 34 and 37 minutes that’s encouraging we do win game two all right Zion with 29 and 15 we lose by two win by four game number three goes to the Mavericks they won by seven as we had a fourth quarter collapse don’t you just love those game number four goes to the Mavericks 127 117 Zion with 33 7 to 10 five blocks as well damn Zion really showed up in these playoffs but we do lose in five so I do feel like there’s like a talent gap between us and the top teams in the west I couldn’t ask for a better playoff series from Zion could that be Brandon Boston’s final games as a pelican maybe probably going to be dejonte like what a what a terrible way to go out deant and then you have an and Cade winning Conference Finals MVP so the 2021 number one overall pick versus the 2020 number one overall pick and 2021 prevails K drops 42 7 and a half 7 and a half on 50490 splits and wins Finals MVP okay those numbers are kind of insane James Harden and Doc Rivers both ended up retiring this year the two big ones so here we are in the draft lottery do we have anything special uh the Bucks pick is there at 12 hey that is going to be a lottery pick which is nice and that pick does not get like some Insane luck but we are going to have the 12th overall pick after making the playoffs we own our pick at 19 Miami’s pick at 21 so we didn’t really get the best picks in the world from that trade down with the Charlotte Hornets cuz that Miami pick at 21 could have been some nice value cuz hey they gave the Thunder the second overall pick a few years ago why couldn’t they return the favor to me all right I’m willing to offer the Washington Wizards a big deal Trey Murphy gets hurt way too much for us so we’re going to see if we could trade Trey Murphy to the Washington Wizards along with the 12th overall pick and I will give you the 21st overall pick for number one would they be interested in this they are not um and I would throw in 19 uh I don’t know if I have any other players I would throw in this steal like I could give them one of the young guys if I want to give them Dash Daniels um maybe maybe we do that and we hold on to this first let’s see so Murphy two first and dash Daniels to go up to number one they’re going to say no to that all right so I wanted to draft Tyrone Stokes out of Duke if he does not go number one that I could maybe trade up with the Kings at number two um but they take Stokes so maybe we’re not going to do that Alex castanza goes out of Bor Elijah arenus goes all right so I do have some cap space could I get Andrew nard who I feel could be a really good connecting piece he can he’s a great defender so he can help out yaku chonis in the backo next year and that allows like herb Jones to move to the bench I would be giving them Dash Daniels and two first round picks at 19 and 21 I don’t think they’re going to accept this but I think it’s willing uh or Worth to try just because he’s an expiring three and half Stars is a lot for Andrew nard I don’t think I’m going to throw anybody else in this deal unless I throw in like this first round pick so three first and dash for nard that got it done actually okay so welcome to the Pelicans Andrew nard I feel like there’s always somebody in the comments that says I get nard all the time when this is I feel like the fourth time or fifth time I’ve gotten him this year and with this pick at number 12 I took sadik white out of Syracuse a 610 power forward so let’s see who did the Pacers take with our picks I believe I gave them 19 they took Dwayne aristot sounds like a scholar from the past like an Aristotle type um and then I also gave them I think 21 and they took Trent Perry so sque white let’s pick um up his option or his team contract we’re going to pick up all these deals outside of Deonte Murray who we’re going to just let walk it it’s time for a new era in New Orleans I’m going to give Brandon Boston a three-year deal at around 30 like 2ish million dollar uh yeah Deonte he’s going to be gone we are going to go with Mei and sorber as the center uh duo we have Zion sadique white herb Jones and Trey Murphy plenty of wings though on this team right now so we are going to bring back Brandon Boston um I guess I didn’t use that trade exception we had last year we are going to renounce the rights on Grant Williams uh db8 was really good but we are going to re announce the rights um and on Deon as well so yeah we’re going to do that it’s a newish era here I thought about going after miles of bride I just don’t know if I need another guard on this team so I think I’m going to hold on to my midv exception um and not really use it this off season I’m going to look to get a third string Center shout out to quit and post on the Golden State Warriors let’s see if we can get him um just on the minimum and then I’m going to try to snag Dono Banton on the minimum as well and that’s going to be it for us in free agency so we get Quint post can we get Delano yes we can as Giannis goes back to Milwaukee to team up with Luca for another year here at play progression Zion regress is three overalls don’t you just love that I guess because of all the injuries Andrew neard like is going to be OD a contract extension hopefully uh he could play I mean into one I mean we could see if we could sign him in a few days all right so Zion I mean is going to be on a new extension let’s give him kind of similar to what Brandon Ingram just got it’s going to be 3 years $120 million so yep welcome back to New Orleans Zion Yi we could resign not going to do that nard it looks like we can’t resign right now Murphy it’s a big year for him because there’s a chance he can get traded at the deadline or next offseason all right so this is what it’s going to look like we’re going to have yaku chonis and nard in the back cour we’re going to have try and Zion and then Mei wrapping up the starting five the bench is pretty good it’s herb Jones harelson Boston Hawkins sorber and Kareem Lopez all getting minutes we got brown Banton post and white in case any injuries occur or occur yeah we’re three and a half star perimeter Centric start off the season against the Bulls um and great oh my God we get two nagging injuries out of the gate Thomas sorber is going to be dealing with a hyperextended left shoulder for the next one to two months and then we also lose harelson with right shoulder tendonitis for the next six to eight weeks what is going on in the water in New Orleans I don’t know and we’re here at the trade deadline with a 29 and 23 record pretty much where we’ve been in the Western Conference we have a 1.7 point differential and looking at this team trying to figure out I mean like Zion’s having an incredible year um but you never know with him herb Jones going the other way and I I gave him that extension which you just hate to see I I said I was going to trade Trey Murphy now he’s having the best year of his career you know what I’m glad something’s Whiting a fire under him um Andre nard 40% from three six assists 1.4 steals Brandon Boston also can’t really buy a shot right now fresh off the contract extension you just love to see that harelson can’t buy a shot the fact that this team is above 500 is actually kind of insane it looks like we can resign Andrew neard so let’s do that it’s going to be a three-year extension kind of close to what he got from the Pacers so he’s just going to get another one 3 years 60 million I Can’t Tell You Why the Milwaukee Bucks gave Johnny Davis $35 million in guaranteed money but I’m going to take that money off their hands I’m going to give them Brandon Boston who’s definitely better even though he’s having a down year but I’m getting their 2030 first round pick for taking on that contract we were never going to really be a big free agency destination we don’t really have cap space to begin with so that could maybe be used in a trade down the line to make the money work so we’re going to do that trade um it’s going to free up some minutes like Johnny Davis is not going to play for us throughout the rest of the year and we’ve had our fair share of injury so like B has had some time to play Quint and post has had some time to play and that’s going to be it for me at this year’s deadline in 28 all right so yic wins another MVP this year Brandon McCoy is your Rookie of the Year to the Golden State Warriors the next Steph Curry there maybe uh AJ gets six man of the year because OKC just has um just insane Talent on their team and obviously incredible depth luuka on all NBA first team Giannis on all NBA second team there’s Jor demon who we could have taken with the fourth overall pick but we trade it down he makes all NBA second team and then there’s Paulo and Mo lamelo and shenon are we going to see any Pelicans uh nope no Pelicans unfortunately we did finish the year as the six seed and yeah to No One surprise Zion did have an injury so I don’t know we weren’t at the top of the western conference again I don’t know if this is going to be a first round exit team I am glad that Trey Murphy played well maybe he’s going to play well into some trade value this off season and I think just to come up with this playoff rotation they really want to go uh harelson which is not going to be the case I do want Yak chonis to get around 30 minutes a night who I think took some shds this year I would like for the efficiency to be better but I think he it will be fine going forward I’m going to go about 33 to nard 2K is very adamant on trying to get Dono Bon or Johnny Davis in the rotation um but yeah y Mei got herur towards the end of the year which was just fantastic um and Kareem Lopez went down as well so I think Quint and post can get around like 14 no probably like 16 minutes a night I’m going to go about 32 to Thomas sorber we’re going to go about 18 of herb Jones we at this point of his career Jordan Hawkins um is going to get around 18 points as well or 18 minutes harelson 23 minutes I would like to go probably 37 to Zion I would like to go probably yeah the rest of TR and let’s see how far this team can go can we pull off the upset on the Houston Rockets I think it’s possible I think we could definitely beat him let’s find out we do win game one ye Mei is back there we go so Thomas sorber oh my God averaging 15 rebounds in the first couple games I don’t mind like working ye Mei back into the swing of things so I’m going to just still start uh Thomas sorber think it’s good Reps for him um Mei can get around I don’t know 20 minutes a night and maybe 18 and then we could stick probably 30 minutes yeah sorber that makes total sense uh ends up to 48 we do go up 3 to one would you look at that are we finally going to get a playoff series Victory here in New Orleans or are we going to blow a 3 to one weed are you kidding me oh my God we blow a 3 to one weed I feel like this team is just cursed I really do I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to this team Trey Murphy shot 35 from the field I’m sure like opposing GMS can remember that Zion was great yet again for us in the playoffs Jaylen harlson was fine um he’s still incredibly young y Mei average 12-8 Yak chonis 115 and 7 it looks like he got banged up Hawkins couldn’t hit a shot to save his life nard was fine 8 point7 assist um yeah we just blew a 3 to one lead is anybody surprised though I don’t think so uh we ended up losing game five by nine we lost game six by six and then we lost game seven by 10 I do think this is going to be a big off season for us as we just watched GG Jackson win Western Conference Finals MVP and po wi Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the Mavericks get their second ring in this video because I do believe they won the 2020 chip so KD Steph Jimmy Kawai wow really an end of an error here at the end of the 2028 season there go spala buen hoser Rick Carlile and we are here with the draft lottery and oh my God all right wait I don’t feel like I get that pick don’t I get the swap worse with like them in Cleveland I’m not getting my hopes up that I was getting that pick yeah the Jazz get that pick at three why would you tease me like that 2K um instead we are going to end up with the ninth pick actually that is kind of insane I forget what trade wasn’t that the Jose Alvarado trade well that’s incredible that I was able to turn Jose Alvarado into the ninth overall pick the Lakers get one we’re going to have nine 21 as well in this draft do I fire James bgo I mean I could and I just offered five head coaching offers because I did fire bgo I only get two of them I don’t get nurse again Kerr or bigger staff I get Quin Schneider or JJ reck JJ reck please save our franchise and hey JJ is a former Pelican technically so that is pretty cool and we we are about to do this trade marking the end of an era of pelicans basketball we got to switch it up we are going to be sending Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones to the P or excuse me to the Pistons whose general manager or president of basketball operations Trent langden drafted these two players in New Orleans repairing up assur Thompson assur Thompson with Zion Williamson yes there’s going to be some shooting issues I know that 100% I’m also getting AJ Mitchell in this steal which if you watch my bck like AJ Mitchell is an absolute beast in this video or in this game honestly and wow he’s going to be on four different teams in four years did he not play at all during the 25 26 Season that’s crazy but yeah we’re going to be doing this trade I think it’s only right that I send out herb Jones and Trey Murphy together and yeah we are going to make this trade we get AAR Thompson here in Detroit I don’t know where I’m going to play him at the two or at the three and I know there’s some issues with Zion and him but we’re not done yet this off season we could still definitely make some moves and the final deal I am going to try to make is getting Carl Anthony towns the number one pick in 2015 I’m trying to pair him up in the front court with the number number one pick in 2019 we’re trying to get some for spacing cat has been ARA be the best shooting big man in the NBA since he entered the NBA and I’m giving them Johnny Davis I’m giving them Jordan Hawkins and I’m giving them sadique white the 12th overall pick from last year they’re going to say no I’m going to offer 21 in this deal they’re going to say no what about if I offer pick nine instead of 21 wow they do not want to move cat wow if I trade three first- round picks that is a lot but screw it I’m I’m going all in I’m changing things up JJ Rick wants to get cat wow wow all right I’m not getting cat that’s crazy so instead I’m going to try to Pivot to another former Nick and I won’t have to give up sadik Bay or sidik white excuse me in this trade Jordan Hawkins and Johnny Davis let’s try to get chrisop porzingis a good rim protector and a very good three-point shooter um let’s see if I could do Hawkins Davis and 21 for KP they say no I’m sure if I throw a nine it gets the steel done no all right what about nine and 21 no and then I will throw in my first next year and that is it that that’s the most I’m throwing in okay they agree to that christops porzingis Welcome to the Pelicans we got some shooting there in the starting five We Got No rookie signings yaku chonis harelson sorber Lopez all welcome back if we do want to see who the Celtics took at number nine it was Luis Valentine probably better than how Forest who went the pick ahead we’re going to give H Quint post and de Mei the qualifying offers we’re going to bring back Bruce Brown on the minimum but yeah big thing here with Y Mei um if a team throws like fouryear 103 I don’t think I’m matching that I’m not matching that I’m not re anouncing the rights on him because sometimes uh like he’ll make it through moratorium but yeah did y Mei actually go to the Wizards did they actually pay him they did no he actually went to the Warriors for years 103 it might have said the Warriors um and I I just read that as wizard so we’re opting in with KP and sorber I know it’s risky with KP and Zion because of their injury concerns but I’m hoping that this team can get it done um let’s invest into a solid third string guy which could be Brandon Clark and let’s get some more floor spacing let’s offer a three-year deal wow we don’t get Brandon CL but I’m going to try to get Alex caraban former ninth overall pick who I guess was non-tendered um by the Blazers and then instead of getting I guess Brandon Clark let’s bring in kp’s buddy from Boston nus kada and let’s see how well this team can do it’s got a ton of depth but we need a lot of things to go our way shout out to Kareem Lopez progressing a ton all right so this is a really good 10-minute rotation like look at the bench of Lopez harelson Mitchell sorber um H I didn’t realize all time it’s so uh sober and then you got cariban there so I got about eight more minutes I’d like to go about 208 yakon let’s go 32 to Zion let’s go 31 to Thompson I think we actually go 27 to nard 30 to yonis let’s just see how this team performs under JJ reic hopefully it’s better with a new era of no longer having herb and Trey Murphy and we get blown out in our first two games all right this is why you have depth here in March we have been killing it all year long but AJ Mitchell breaks his left leg he’s out 8 to 10 weeks but we just hit 54 wins we’re 54 and 15 we’re going to be the one seed so Wy wins MVP this year Dylan Dixon rookie of the year the number one pick to the Lakers edcom six Man of the Year wemy takes home deoy JQ most improved he was drafted by Memphis uh GG Jackson has turned into like a top 15 player in the NBA did not have that on my bingo card but that’s pretty cool boom JJ reck first year New Orleans 66 and 16 um and we are going to be the one seed here in the Western Conference playoffs Zion hit threes this year did he actually take some he took 68 you know what now I’ll take that and he shot 39% it’s better than shooting 29% from three and then we also got assar Thompson on all defensive first team how about that not a good shooter but hey I’ll take it so we are the one seed we’re taking on the Houston Rockets in round number one the team that came back down 3 to one against us last year uh we are going to be without AJ Mitchell at least for the start of the playoffs it looks like he is dayto day so he’s going to be back very soon talk about a Kareem Lopez breakout year who’s going to start for us in the playoffs Andrew neard is going to be moved to the bench Alex cariban shot 43% from three sadique white shot 42% from three he got in on the action this year I mean KP was maybe the biggest disappointment for what we gave up for him but that’s what I expected and he’s able to space the floor which we need and he’s a great defender but it looks like he’s maybe not that happy here so uh Jaylen harelson um I think was a good score as well he’s probably going to get like 20 minutes T night with nard I’d like to go at least 30 to KP for the playoffs let’s go 35 to Zion at the minimum I think Thomas sorber can get about 18 sadique white ain’t cracking the rotation AJ Mitchell’s hurt so I’m going to go about 14 to cariban then we may have some tough questions but I think we can go 33 to Lopez 33 to Thompson 37 to Zion let’s go 34 there um and 21 in nard so let’s see if we can beat the Rockets we get AJ Mitchell back right away very nice and to be honest with you like do I replace nard do I replace harelson I think I’m going to replace outright harelson which is maybe a little bit risky to not have him on the playoff team but like AJ Mitchell an efficiency God so I want him out there please don’t lose to the eight seated Rockets all right there we go and all right that was quick AJ Mitchell suffers a lower right leg stress fracture and he’s out for the playoffs so hey harelson you’re getting right back in there into the rotation which is a shame just a shame all right but we swep the Rockets which I will definitely take um Zion who has honestly stepped up in every single playoff series for us so I’m very happy with Zion um so far taking on the Memphis gries jaw versus Zion 2019 number one pick versus number two pick we do win game one we do win game two we lose game three we lose game four Zion bruise left shoulder of course and we do win game five and we win game six all right the New Orleans Pelicans have won two playoff series and we’re in the Conference Finals hopefully Zion is back healthy soon but Kareem Lopez has been great and we’re taking on the Clippers here in the Conference Finals with Walter cayon Jr shout out Florida they have Malik Thomas Bal kesan so they brought over some Wizards zubot Reed do they have anybody that’s hurt doesn’t look like it so here we go taking on the Clippers a six seed if we can’t make it to the finals I will be upset hopefully Zion become comes fully healthy soon and we are up 2 to one 2 to2 oh boy casparis pulls his hamstring oh God Zion’s fully healthy we do win game five so I’m getting Deja Vu from last series casparis man I mean I will put in a different guard please win game six oh my God Kareem Lopez with a stomach virus but we win at six bang and we’re in the NBA finals going up against Cooper flag and the Sixers so they have the number one pick out of Duke from 2025 we have the number one pick from Duke from 2019 they have Maxi McCain and oh my God and they got klew as well that team is sick so KP has not even honestly been that good for us in the playoffs but here we are in the finals with him um kareim Lopez outscored Zion all right so I guess casparis is going to be dealing with the hamstring injury all playoff long so I don’t know like do you like it n sorber has been disappointing as well our Center play has not been great Kim Lopez good to go we win game one 147 114 casparis 14 assists with a bad hamstring game two goes to New Orleans 131 to 90 Zion Oh my God come on give me this ring ring me ring me 50 points in the fourth quarter Zion dropped 32 ring me and we sweep them let’s go baby the Pelicans win the 2029 NBA finals and Kareem Lopez it would have been cool if it was Zion but hey Kareem Lopez is your finals MVP winner that is what I’m talking about and we got it done with how many ogs just Zion because we traded away Murphy we traded away herb uh yeah I guess two OG’s because Bruce Brown is technically an OG as well but this team just got a ring in 29 and that was a fun rebuild I hope you guys did enjoy it as much as I did if you did I would appreciate you dropping a thumbs up let me know in the comments which team you’d like to see me rebuild next I’ll catch youall on that one peace

🟣 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_sros/

📘Twitter – https://twitter.com/sixringsofsteei

🏀NBA Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl3BzNGIPlKDI5DhN3jDCvg

📷TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@sixringsofsteel

🏈NFL Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@TheTripleOption