New Orleans Pelicans
Sending out: Alexis Ajinca (MIA), E’Twaun Moore (LAC)
Bringing in: Marco Belinelli (ATL), Kyle O’Quinn (NYK)
The New Orleans Pelicans desperately need to make the playoffs — to keep Anthony Davis happy, to help convince DeMarcus Cousins to re-sign and to prove to themselves that they are actually making forward progress. That challenge become a lot harder with Cousins lost for the rest of the season to injury, but they already made a move to fill the gap by bringing in Nikola Mirotic.
This deal helps create a little more financial wiggle room for signing Cousins around Mirotic’s option next year and also helps them stay competitive this season. O’Quinn is a nice backup center. He’s physical, can help on defense, hit the glass, make an occasional mid-range jumper and save Davis from some of the pounding of having to play center full-time. Belinelli is not quite as versatile as Moore but he’s a great outside shooter and his $6 million contract comes off the books this summer.
New Orleans gets a little help for this year and some room to try and keep adding pieces next year. It’s a win-win.