Could we see a major shakeup near the top of the 2023 NBA Draft?
The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to “aggressively pursue” a trade for one of the top picks in this month’s draft in an effort to land point guard Scoot Henderson, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported, citing sources, on Monday.
New Orleans currently holds the 14th overall selection.
Henderson, who played two seasons with the G League Ignite, is widely expected to be drafted second or third overall. Those picks are currently held by the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, but Henderson isn’t exactly a perfect fit for either franchise.
The Hornets already have a young franchise point guard in LaMelo Ball, which could prompt them to take consensus top-three pick Brandon Miller over Henderson. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported last week that Charlotte is indeed “leaning toward” taking Miller. Portland, meanwhile, is exploring deals for the No. 3 pick and Anfernee Simons with hopes of landing a star player to pair with soon-to-be-33-year-old Damian Lillard, according to a report from O’Connor.
It’s unclear whether the Pelicans would be willing to part with Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram in a potential deal with the Blazers. If not, New Orleans could try to entice Portland with assets that can possibly be rerouted for a star. The Pelicans are loaded with future draft capital and boast some intriguing young players like Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Dyson Daniels.
The NBA draft is set for Thursday, June 22.
