Pelicans Reportedly Looking to Trade Up for Star at NBA Draft

The 2025 NBA Draft is now just days away, and rumors are starting to heat up regarding which prospects will land where.

Several of those are in regard to Ace Bailey, who’s one of the more polarizing players in the entire class. At 6-foot-9, he has obvious scoring and shot-making talent, but saw an up-and-down season making decisions and positively impacting the game. Across 30 games at Rutgers, Bailey was able to pour on 17.6 points per game on 46% shooting, adding 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

All in all, he’s certain to have suitors at the NBA Draft as potentially the third-best prospect in the class.

Per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Conner, the Pelicans could be one of those teams that covets Bailey’s talents. So much so, that they’re exploring opportunities to move up.

“League sources continue to cite the Pelicans as a team aggressively looking to move up in the draft, with most front-office executives believing Bailey is the target of new general manager Joe Dumars.” O’Conner wrote.

New Orleans makes sense as a potential trade-up candidate for Bailey, given they’ve recently off-loaded scoring wing Brandon Ingram, who offers a similarly enticing game on the perimeter.

With the Pelicans, Bailey would be able to hone an off-ball role early in his career, providing shooting and hopeful defensive versatility alongside Zion Williamson and co.

In order to nab Bailey in a trade up, the Pelicans would almost certainly have to grab one of No. 3 from Philadelphia, or No. 4 from Charlotte. There's no guarantee the 76ers will pass on Bailey at third, given the chance. But a trade package could make sense given the Sixers are likely looking to compete again next season.

Regardless, the Pelicans seem to be keen on adding more star-power at the 2025 NBA Draft in a few weeks, which should be the mindset given another lesser finish in the West in 2024-25.