Despite winning two of their first three games to start the new season, the New Orleans Pelicans are already in a tough situation.
In their season opener their newly acquired point guard, Dejounte Murray, suffered a broken hand. With Murray now out indefinitely, the Pelicans are left without a true starting point guard.
CJ McCollum has replaced Murray as the starting point guard, but New Orleans could look to make a deal to help replace Murray and upgrade their size. One team they could turn to to accomplish both is the Toronto Raptors.
Bruce Brown was the subject of trade rumors for most of the summer, but the Raptors decided to keep him on their roster. With Toronto still in a rebuild, they could still move Brown, and the Pelicans could be a perfect fit.
Brown averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists over 67 games last season with both the Raptors and the Indiana Pacers. The former NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets shot the ball well last season at 47.5% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range.
Another player that the Raptors could include in the trade that would benefit the Pelicans is Jakob Poeltl. After allowing Jonas Valančiūnas to walk in free agency in the offseason, New Orleans failed to sign or trade for another center. By acquiring Poeltl, they would fill that hole in their lineup.
To match salaries, the Pelicans would send Brandon Ingram, Jordan Hawkins and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the Raptors for Brown and Poeltl. This would not only fill two holes in New Orleans’ lineup but also allow Ingram to become Toronto’s star player next to Scottie Barnes.
While this trade may not make the Pelicans the best team in the Western Conference, it does help them in both the present and future. Brown would replace Murray as the starting point guard, then he could either come off the bench or start at a different position whenever Murray returns. Poeltl also gives the Pelicans size while Yves Missi continues to adapt to the NBA.
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