PELICANS: Examining all Possible Draft Night Scenarios

Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans

For the first time in a long time, the Pelicans have an abundance of options. With the 2016 NBA Draft just two days away, those options are worth examining.

It’s impossible to be a Pelicans fan and not be riddled with excitement this time of year. For dedicated fans, the Draft holds more excitement than most All-Star games or Dunk Contests.

Sadly, Dell Demps has an almost historically excitable trigger finger when it comes to trading draft picks; leaving Pelicans fans to be left out and forgotten when June 23rd comes around.

Dell might still trade the pick, but it could mean a multitude of different things. He could move up, move down, move into the future, or trade it for an established player and save himself from having to take a risk in the first place.

Activity around the league suggest that this will be an explosive draft night. The Lakers have expressed interest in getting another top 10 pick, the 76ers are thinking about moving Okafor, and multiple teams outside of the draft have stated they plan to move into it. Meanwhile teams like the Celtics have bundles of picks they could package and move for a star, while a team like Sacramento might just have a star they are willing to deal.

The Pelicans could be the 2nd or 3rd team involved in any number of these deals. No final decisions have been made, but Danny Ferry and Dell Demps are certainly entertaining multiple scenarios and fielding offers around the league.

For the first time in almost half a decade, the Pelicans have flexibility. They have the 6th, 39th, and 40th picks, they have almost 25 million dollars in cap space, and they have tradable players that could garner some interest around the league.

It’s Thursday night. Adam Silver walks onto the stage. The Draft clock begins to tick. Which directions could Dell Demps go?

Next: Moving On Up