The NBA trade deadline is less than two months away and the New Orleans Pelicans could look to shake up their roster after a disappointing 7-22 start to the season. Sure, a trade might be a little hasty considering it still remains to be seen how Zion Williamson fits with the pieces on the roster, but it’s entirely possible.
If the Pelicans do decide to make a few big moves at the trade deadline, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said that he’s gotten the impression that New Orleans would trade Ball if the right offer came along.
“I think he’d be available,” Windhorst said on the latest Hoop Collective podcast.
This report from Windhorst comes on the heels of the report from Marc Stein of the New York Times on Tuesday, which said that the Pelicans view Brandon Ingram and Williamson as the only untouchable pieces on the roster. Additionally, they’re not currently looking to move JJ Redick, even if his short-term contract could feasibly net them a first-round pick.
That’s not to say the Pelicans are in a hurry ship out Ball or Jrue Holiday — who the team is also reportedly listening to offers for — but it does suggest that New Orleans is devoted to building around Ingram and Williamson, and anyone that doesn’t fit with them is replaceable. So far, Ball and Holiday haven’t done anything to suggest they’re irreplaceable — at least not this season.
Hopefully Williamson brings the best out of Ball and Holiday upon his return. Otherwise, the point guard position could look drastically different for the Pelicans as soon as this season.
