The New Orleans Pelicans made their second and third draft-night trades on Wednesday. First, the team traded the No. 39 pick, Syracuse wing Elijah Hughes, to the Utah Jazz before selecting and then trading Kentucky center Nick Richards to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pelicans will receive future picks in each of the trades, per ESPN’s Andrew Lopez.
New Orleans also traded the No. 24 pick, RJ Hampton, to the Denver Nuggets for a lottery-protected future first round pick.
With the inclusion of the No. 60 pick in the Jrue Holiday trade, the New Orleans Pelicans officially made just one selection on draft night in Kira Lewis with the No. 13 pick despite coming into the night with four draft picks total, two in each round.
Given the team’s roster crunch after trading for Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, it’s understandable that they would kick the can down the road on the draft, saving picks until future years and possibly waiting to trade for a superstar.
