Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett won 32 games together at Duke this past season and the New Orleans Pelicans discussed the possibility of trading up in the NBA Draft to acquire RJ Barrett to play in the NBA with the impending #1 pick Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans hold the #1 and #4 picks in the upcoming draft. They acquired the #4 from the Lakers after trading Anthony Davis to LA for three players and three draft picks.
Zion Williamson will be headed to the Pelicans as the number one pick. He indicated that RJ Barrett would be a perfect teammate in the NBA.
Scouts projected the Knicks would pick Barrett, a 6-foot-7 forward, with the third overall pick. The Knicks recently rejected a juicy offer from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks wanted to trade the #8 pick and the #10 pick to the Knicks for the #3 pick. The Hawks want to snag Jarrett Culver before the Cavs grab him with the fifth pick.
Swap with the Knicks
The Knicks worked out Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, but they have been linked to RJ Barrett since the Draft Lottery.
The Knicks already felt the #8 and #10 picks would not be worth as much as Barrett. What could the Pelicans offer in exchange to move up one spot?
The Pelicans have three first rounds picks to work with, plus the newly acquired Lakers. The Knicks are not interested in any of LeBron’s leftovers. So what would they be interested in?
Knicks fans are worried the Knicks will do something stupid like they’ve done numerous times before. For now, the Knicks have the third pick and RJ Barrett is a safe, yet wise choice.
Swap with the Griz
The Grizzlies said they wanted to draft Ja Morant since the lottery. Word got out that they got cold feet and were interested in trading down.
In the meantime, Mike Conley and the Celtics were linked in a potential trade. Conley is the Grizzlies all-time leading scorer. He averaged 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game this year.
The Celtics needed to find a point guard after Kyrie Irving moved out of town. Irving is headed to New York City, it just a matter of which borough he’ll play in. Brooklyn or Manhattan? Hipsters vs. Old Money.
The Griz look like a team that is about to draft a point guard. On the eve of the draft, they traded Conley to the Utah Jazz for three players a pair of draft picks. The Jazz shipped out Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, and sharpshooter Kyle Korver. The Griz also acquired the #23 pick in this year’s draft plus a conditional 2020 first rounder.
Would the Pelicans and Grizzlies swap picks? If so, what will the Pelicans have to give up to move up two spots? The Griz would be interested in a combination of draft picks and one of the ex-Lakers: Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, or Jason Hart.
