Trade Packages and Landing Points for Pelicans Guard Lonzo Ball | Launderer report

After three seasons and changes with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, Lonzo Ball could be available before his next restricted free agency.

“New Orleans has received calls about the availability of Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick and has shown an openness to discuss the exchanges between the two with interested teams, ”Shams Charania wrote for The Athletic. “A move would create a clearer path for young guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis in the Pelicans rotation.”

Redick’s availability isn’t terribly surprising. The 36-year-old veteran could be a useful ground spacer over a competitor, which the Pelicans haven’t shown. In the twilight of his career, Redick probably has an interest in heading for a winning team.

Ball’s name, on the other hand, probably still raises a few eyebrows. Lonzo is only months away from his 23rd birthday. It was part of the massive transport New Orleans received for Anthony Davis. And the Pelicans have the ability to match any offer they might receive as a restricted free agent during the offseason.

His start to the season is perhaps worse than that of New Orleans collectively. Daniel Myers of Basketball Reference wrote that a player around a 0.0 plus / minus box is in the range of a “good beginner or a solid 6th man.” Ball was down 0.5 in his first three seasons. In 2020-2021, it dropped to a replacement level below 2.7.

He shoots less than 40% on the field and 30% on three and has career lows in assist percentage, rebound percentage and steal percentage.

Still, there’s an undeniable chemistry between Ball and the franchise’s likely future face, Zion Williamson. In the nearly 800 minutes that these two players have played together, the Pelicans are over 5.0 points per 100 possessions. They’re minus-10.7 in the 300 plus minutes Zion played without Lonzo.

The young guard has a knack for finding Williamson in a good position to score easy buckets. Even if he could just reach average as a shooter (which we can say about Ball for years), his sense of the game and his selflessness would make him a good partner for Zion.

All of this to say that despite the slow start, the Pelicans are unlikely to just throw Lonzo somewhere. Teams interested in the potential of its multi-faceted game will need to come up with serious offers.

Los Angeles Clippers

The agreement: Lou Williams, Patrick Patterson and a 2022 second-round pick (via Atlanta) for Lonzo Ball

Lou Williams was a staple of the Los Angeles Clippers’ second unit under former coach Doc Rivers. In the last three seasons leading up to 2020-21, he’s averaged 29.4 minutes, 20.4 points and 5.4 assists, almost exclusively off the bench. With Tyronn Lue now in charge, Lou-Will fell to 19.0 minutes, 8.8 points and 2.7 assists.

With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George handling such a big part of the scoring and making of the game, Williams’ spark plug attack just isn’t nearly as big. And when he’s down, the defense crumbles.

Substituting his score for Lonzo’s defense could strengthen a second unit that is struggling to defend itself. And in Los Angeles, Lonzo wouldn’t be called upon to do much beyond passing and take on tough defensive missions. Again, the Clippers don’t need a lot of extra points.

The permutability of defensive rosters that include Ball, Leonard, George and Marcus Morris Sr. would be off the charts.

For New Orleans, the two contracts it receives under this agreement expire. So it doesn’t take extra money in the long run. And Williams would be more useful with the Pelicans, who are 19th in points per 100 possessions (LA is first).

Think about Lou-Will’s chemistry with Montrezl Harrell in the pick-and-roll, then imagine those skills in play with Zion. If Williams were the first guy off the bench for the Pelicans, he and Williamson could spend some time owning the midfield, with Brandon Ingram in the flanks.

This combination and Williams’ general point-making ability would almost certainly increase the team’s offensive effectiveness.

As for the rest of the deal, Patterson is an expiring contract that also doesn’t play much for Los Angeles, and probably wouldn’t have a long-term future in New Orleans, but his salary is needed. to meet the trade rules of the collective agreement. .

The second-round pick shouldn’t be too hard to give up, either. The Clippers are in title or bust mode, and the success rate for second-round players is not great. For New Orleans, this is another addition to a growing stock of project capital.

Warriors of the Golden State

The agreement: Kelly Oubre Jr., Alen Smailagic and a 2022 second-round pick for Lonzo Ball and Willy Hernangomez

It comes down to a pretty straightforward proposition: would you rather have Kelly Oubre Jr. or Lonzo?

When presented with the stats of the two in a blind flash poll, Twitter users overwhelmingly voted for Ball’s passing and his impact on Oubre’s score.

In a team that already has Stephen curry and Andrew Wiggins (averaging 17.8 points on career best), that trade could make sense.

“Lonzo yells a Steve Kerr player type,” Light Years Podcastof Sam Esfandiari tweeted. “And I wouldn’t be mad at that. It would work just fine with Steph (and ultimately Klay, etc.).”

With Lonzo in an Andre Iguodala-like role (again, he wouldn’t be asked to do much more than defend and move the ball), his lack of shooting wouldn’t be such a glaring issue.

And who better to spend time with than Curry and Kerr for a struggling shooter?

Additionally, if Ball was okay, Golden State would have its Bird rights and the incumbent’s domestic lane in a restricted free agency.

For the Pelicans, they get at least some draft capital for a player they could lose in free agency anyway. And 20-year-old Alen Smailagic comes up with an intrigue about a low-wage contract that lasts another three years.

In the short term, Oubre wouldn’t help solve New Orleans’ shooting problems unless he rediscovers his 2019-20 form. He would add more athleticism to a list that already includes Zion and Ingram, however. These three people in open court could be scary.

And Ball’s departure could mean more one-off rehearsals for Ingram. Stan Van Gundy certainly knows the concept, as evidenced by his years with Hedo Turkoglu and the Orlando Magic.

Portland Trail Blazers

The agreement: Derrick Jones Jr. and a 2023 (lottery-protected) first-round pick for Lonzo Ball

With CJ McCollum in the foreseeable future, the Portland Trail Blazers are suddenly in dire need of a backcourt, and Lonzo Ball could help, despite his struggles as a shooter.

And Damian Lillard has some experience (and quite a bit of success) playing with a decently sized playmaker who can’t turn the lights off in Evan Turner.

Ball’s vision and assists certainly surpass any level Turner achieves on this front (though he’s perhaps a bit underrated in that regard).

In lineups with Lillard, the 6’6 “ball could be tasked with defending the opposition’s most dangerous guard, sparing the superstar some energy to that end. The ability to create offense and give Lillard’s off-ball scoring opportunities would also help.

And in today’s NBA, Portland might even be able to get away with a bit of Lonzo-aux-3 minutes when McCollum returns to the lineup.

New Orleans, meanwhile, are getting back a player who is roughly the same age as Ball but could very well earn less next season (Ball only needs a team to feel a little wild for get a heavy offer in restricted free agency). Derrick Jones Jr. is also switchable in defense and a good finisher around the rim.

However, the downgrading of game creation will cause Pelicans to seek more of it. And McCollum’s absence could make the Blazers desperate enough to include a protected first-round pick.

If the Pelicans have a feeling they could lose Ball in restricted free agency (or at least be presented with an offer they don’t want to match), getting a first would be hard to pass up.