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The Whiteboard: The New Orleans Pelicans need to find value players

By Ti Windisch

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 9: Tyrone Wallace #12 of the LA Clippers goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 9, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 9: Tyrone Wallace #12 of the LA Clippers goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 9, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The New Orleans Pelicans could use a cheap signing to produce for them this season.

The New Orleans Pelicans have some strong talent on the top end of their roster. With a core of Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle, the Pelicans can hang with a lot of team’s best four players. (The Golden State Warriors are like LOL, but that’s fine.)

It’s the rest of roster that is sort of a problem for the Pelicans. Their fifth-best player is probably E’Twaun Moore. After that you’re looking at maybe Solomon Hill? New Orleans’ depth is not good. Some would even say it’s bad.

One of the Pellies’ recent moves could help with that. New Orleans doesn’t ever have much cap room thanks to deals like those given to Moore and Hill, among others, but New Orleans signed a low-cost, medium-upside player a couple days ago in Tyrone Wallace.

Wallace was a revelation for the Los Angeles Clippers in his rookie season after the Clips called him up on his two-way deal. The literal last pick in the 2016 NBA Draft did well for himself, and now has secured an offer from the Pelicans.

There’s two caveats here for New Orleans. The first is that there’s no guarantee Wallace gets any better than he was in limited minutes last season, or even that he remains that good. Wallace’s ceiling is low. Such is life with buy-low prospects.

The second caveat is that he’s not on the Pelicans just yet. The Clippers can match New Orleans’ offer today if they are so inclined. If that doesn’t happen, NOLA might just have found a very affordable option on their bench. That’s something the Pelicans just haven’t had, and it’s something they desperately need.

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