Options for New Orleans Pelicans in a Trade Up at Draft

As the 2025 NBA Draft nears, rumors are flying about which players will be selected and by who.

Plenty of those involve the New Orleans Pelicans, who per multiple reporters, have been aggressively seeking to move up into the upper ranks of the upcoming draft.

For now, the team sits at No. 7, but here are three options should they pull off a trade up:

Dylan Harper, Rutgers

New Orleans will be hard-pressed to pry the No. 2 pick from San Antonio given just how tantalizing adding Rutgers guard Dylan Harper alongside Victor Wembanyama is. But should they actually have enough ammo to pull it off, he’d offer the Pelicans a future franchise player.

At 6-foot-6, Harper was one of the more prolific producers in college ball at lead guard, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and four assists while shooting 48% overall.

New Orleans, again, would have to give up a pretty penny and likely a decent chunk of their roster to get there, but Harper would likely be worth it in setting up a new Pelicans era.

Ace Bailey, Rutgers

Should the Pelicans trade up, doing so to No. 3 would make much more sense, especially given the 76ers are looking to win-now.

New Orleans reportedly favors Rutgers wing Ace Bailey, which makes plenty of sense given they just off-loaded scoring wing Brandon Ingram at this year’s trade deadline. 

At 6-foot-9, Bailey needs some refining in the shot-selection and decision-making areas, but is undoubtedly one of the highest-upside players in the class with length, athleticism, impeccable shot-making, defense and more.

VJ Edgecombe, Baylor

Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe could also be an option at No. 3, given his combination of hyper-athleticism, scoring ability and stingy defense.

With the Bears, he averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 44% overall. All in all, producing as one of the top true freshmen in the nation.

With the Pelicans, Edgecombe could slot in as a hybrid in the backcourt, adding general positive impact while honing some on-ball skills for potential stardom down the road.