The New Orleans Pelicans have two choices ahead of the trade deadline. They can either sit on their hands and hope that their kinks work themselves out or they can try to untangle their mess of a roster. To that point, the Pelicans have amassed far more talent than their 6-29 record reflects.
Perhaps the problem is less about their on-court personnel and more about the sidelines. Pelicans head coach Willie Green shouldn’t be on the hot seat after leading New Orleans to 49 wins last season. Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego wasn’t a finalist for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy this past offseason because he’s bad at his job. Nonetheless, just like players, coaches can backslide and underperform.
Pelicans Push For Jimmy Butler Trade Complicated But Possible
Ultimately, there’s undoubtedly an issue with their roster construction.
At the offensive end, New Orleans has several players shooting under 35 percent from three, including starters Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones. 2023 No. 14 pick Jordan Hawkins entered the league looking like Rip Hamilton in college but that’s only been an illusion so far. On top of that, Murray and CJ McCollum‘s shot-selection can leave a lot to be desired. In fact, McCollum’s shot-selection was even a thorn in the Pelicans’ side prior to this season.
McCollum is a primary culprit in their malfeasance at the defensive end as well. Yet, he doesn’t have Zion Williamson‘s youth or physical tools, which inspires confidence he can turn it around. The same can be said of Trey Murphy III, whose attention to detail has been problematic. With that being said, nobody can point the finger of blame at just one person.
However, if there’s one player who seemingly does more harm than good, it’s McCollum.
CJ McCollum To Miami
Fortunately for the Pelicans, the 33-year-old has a skillset and mentality that the Miami Heat needs right now. With franchise star Jimmy Butler ringing the alarm, the Pelicans should call up Heat president Pat Riley as soon as possible, offering McCollum and Jones. In an effort to make the salaries match, New Orleans could also have to include Daniel Theis‘s expiring contract.
In McCollum, the Heat get a mature scoring-minded guard whose contract expires in 2026. The 33-year-old could start alongside Tyler Herro in the backcourt or come off the bench as a super sixth man to help maintain their defensive integrity. With Miami ranking 19th in points per game and only having one guard averaging at least 13 points per game though, they just need to get Herro some help, period. To that point, McCollum is averaging 22.7 points per game this season.
As for the other players featured in the package, Miami will receive a tough-nosed defender in Jones, who shares a lot of similarities with Haywood Highsmith. When both Jones and Highsmith share the frontcourt with Bam Adebayo, they might forget that they employed Butler from time to time. Theis gives the Heat another small-ball stretch-five, which is an archetype they’re quite fond of.
Jimmy Butler In The Bayou
If Butler winds up with the Pelicans, he won’t help them put up more three-pointers, which might not appeal to the coaching staff. Yet, his shot-selection and the fact that volume scoring isn’t even his greatest skill helps the offense regardless. With Butler, New Orleans should be more efficient and the attack should be more balanced, especially when they’re fully healthy. Like Murray and Brandon Ingram, he’s at his best in the short-to-midrange area. However, with their gravity and playmaking, there should be plenty of easy opportunities.
Though liable to start at shooting guard, like he did in his Chicago Bulls days, Butler is able to take on the toughest wing or frontcourt defensive assignment. This should be a relief for Ingram and Williamson, who are inconsistent at that end. It should be noted that Jones often took on that task as well but he was a liability on offense. Of course, Butler isn’t necessarily a player New Orleans will want to take catch-and-shoot threes. Nonetheless, he has go-to spots as a scorer, making him more reliable than the Alabama product.
