Top 3 Free Agent Targets for Pelicans
Pels Press • June 29, 2023
Free Agency is Overrated....right?
If you have been a fan of the New Orleans franchise for very long, you know that Free Agent Basketball players (especially good ones) seem to avoid the Crescent City at all costs.
While I personally have no idea why it tends to lead to some overall underwhelming Free Agency periods for the Pelicans, This could also be why we appreciate and admire players we draft that much more. (Except Day-to-Davis)
With all that being said, I have three players that I think are attainable for the franchise and would genuinely fill a space that is lacking in this current roster.
#1: Decent Bigs
My fellow brothers and sisters of Pelican Nation, I HAVE SEEN WAY TOO MUCH TERRIBLE BACKUP CENTER PLAY. Jaxson Hayes, Derrick Favors, KENDRICK PERKINS. I AM. TIRED.
An easy solution to this problem is to get someone cheap and reliable, and that can be a positive for 15 minutes a night. Enter Mason Plumlee. I know what you’re thinking. I promise, he is better than you think he is. His rebounding, passing, and, honestly, screen setting are well above average for a backup Center in today's NBA. We have not had an above-average backup Center in years, so just getting someone who is available and average with upside is a huge improvement. Plus, one-handed free throws are fun.
#2: Shooting
Blah, Blah, Blah. Every team needs shooting, especially the Pelicans. Yeah, I know this is kind of a boring take, and I am just as tired of talking about it as you are of reading about it. Unfortunately for both of us, that doesn’t make it any more true. Genuinely, I believe targeting a player like Seth Curry should be heavily pursued by David Griffin. Movement shooting, body control, and most importantly, a vet who will actually see the court (Sorry, GT. He's still a legend, though.)
#3: An actual PG
This one is probably the grossest one yet. I don’t know why, but ever since he snitched on one of his teammates, the league has really not liked DLo. However, I know a team that could use his services AND benefit from them.
Listen, I love the idea of Zion playing "Point Zion" for every game next season. The truth of the matter is that we truly have no clue how many games he will play. That leads me to a guard who has experience, can be a positive in the right system, and is willing to come off the bench. I think Russell would do great in that role; this would obviously move the Pelicans to more of a 10-man rotation. However, with how injured the team tends to be, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
What do you think? Who should the Front Office go after? Or do you want to run it back? Let Me Know!
-Jacob Compton (@PelsPress)
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New Orleans Saints 17 - 19 Atlanta Falcons The Saints' season is officially over. As sad as it is to say that, this season ended on a much more positive note than I expected, and has me actually looking forward to the offseason, not dreading it. The defense finished on a positive note, Tyler Shough is definitely the guy for at least the next few seasons, and Kellen Moore improved over the second half of the year. If the season finished how we expected prior to Shough saving the team, this offseason would be much more bleak in appearance. This is supposed to be a week 18 recap, but why recap a game no one really had any expectations for or cared about? No one, not even us Saints fans or analysts, really expected Shough to be able to do much with this offensive group, and he couldn’t really. Sure, he made a few really good plays, but you could tell Kellen Moore was struggling to find plays that he felt confident running with the receivers, and I don’t view that as a negative, just a bad scenario for everyone. Because of this, I am not going to write this really as a week 18 recap, but more as a short preview of this offseason. Chase Young Chase Young has made it clear that he is the best young player on this Saints team. Maybe you could swap him out with Chris Olave, but I struggle to overlook his incredible performances and constant clutch play in big moments to close out the year. He finished this game with one and a half sacks and three tackles for losses, but should have even had one more sack and a forced fumble on his stat sheet. Mickey Loomis seemingly has gotten away with the deal of a lifetime, sorry Loomis haters, by signing Young to a three-year deal for only $17 million per year on average. That is more than $10 million less than what the top 10 defensive end salaries are on a per-year basis, and Young has 10 sacks in 12 games played. While watching this one, I texted my buddies and said that Young is a top 10 EDGE in the league at this point, but they disagree. Although he may not be right now, Chase Young is quickly improving and becoming what everyone expected him to be when he came into the league. If he continues down this path, it would be extremely reasonable for him to try and get a pay raise after next season. Going into this offseason, the Saints must add at least one other piece to the defensive end rotation, so teams are forced to take their focus off of Young and open up the opportunity for even more plays by him. Tyler Shough Tyler Shough did not by any means have a perfect game; he finished 23 of 39 for 259 yards and a touchdown and an interception. However, as I said earlier, I don’t think anyone expected him to with the weapons at his disposal. He led the team down the field multiple times, and a Charlie Smyth missed field goal, and Dante Pettis offensive pass interference made this game appear worse offensively than it was. He made some throws and plays out of scheme that once again added to the current mindset that he is the team’s future, so I am not worried about the interception that came late in the fourth quarter on the tenth or so double slant pattern of the game. However, I will say that Shough’s ability to make things work at times with this battered of a weapon room is impressive in itself, and means that if the team decides to go and get him weapons in the draft or free agency, he can be even more successful. I’d really like the Saints to leave the draft with one of the following: Jeremiyah Love, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, or Elijah Sarratt. If they do that, I think this offense alongside Shough would be extremely fun to watch next season. The Defense The Saints' defense finished the season without allowing a fourth-quarter touchdown since Week 11 against the Falcons. Yes, week 11. Although I felt the defense started off pretty rough, the second half of the season was a true testament to Brandon Staley’s abilities as a defensive coordinator. The Saints' defense improved this season in both total scoring and yardage allowed in comparison to last season, at 17th and 9th, respectively, before this game. They played another great game here with what should have been two turnovers if it weren’t for a bad call by the refs on the Chase Young strip-sack. Quincy Riley and Jonas Sanker both have been massive additions to this side of the ball, and Danny Stutsman appears to have the potential to be good whenever Werner or Davis leave. If the Saints decide to run it back with this same defense and bring back the vets, it would not be the worst thing in the world, but I would still like to see them bring in more young talent. Closing Time This season was my first writing for the team, and I really enjoyed recapping all of the highs and lows of the season and trying to let you guys know exactly how I felt about the team week in, week out. As much as I hate this team missing the playoffs and the season ending today, I’m happy I had this opportunity and look forward to doing the same next season. I may write a few offseason articles, but if not, I will definitely have a few Saints-focused episodes on my YouTube channel, Jenks Island. Until next time, Who Dat!! Offensive MVP: Tyler Shough Defensive MVP: Chase Young Special Teams MVP: NONE (Please fire Phil Galiano)
The final game of the season is here!