The Pelicans could look very different next season
The New Orleans Pelicans season is over. They were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round of the playoffs. Zion Williamson's injury hurt their chances of making it a more competitive series.
According to team vice president David Griffin, the Pelicans franchise is heading into the offseason looking to be aggressive in improving the team.
“In the past, we’ve always erred on the side of continuity, and our takeaway has always been let’s see this group healthy. I think we’ve seen it enough,” Griffin told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. "I think we had some really good opportunity to see Zion play a career-high in games. I think we saw it for segments of time well enough to understand that we’ve got a lot of work to do. Because it’s a historically good Western Conference, there are teams that didn’t make the playoffs that are going to get radically better this offseason. We need to do the same. I think you’ll see a real sense of urgency from all of us to do that.”
Brandon Ingram struggled to produce at a high level against the Thunder. He ended the series with averages of 14.3 points, 3.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 34.5 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. That isn't the production the Pelicans would have hoped for from their 26-year-old scorer.
Williamson has proven that when healthy, he's talented enough to spearhead a contending roster. The Pelicans believe they're still multiple steps behind the elite teams in the league. Ingram and CJ McCollum could potentially be two major trade chips heading into the offseason. They are the biggest earners outside of Williamson and consume much of the team's overall usage rate.
The Pelicans have multiple trade assets heading into the summer. They have a desire to improve and, from what Griffin says, an urgency to improve the team.
It's going to be a busy summer for the Pelicans. However, it's worth remembering that being too aggressive in searching for success can backfire. You only need to look toward the Phoenix Suns for that cautionary tale.
More must-reads: