The New Orleans Pelicans entered the 2021-22 NBA season with the goal of ending their playoff drought. Unfortunately, as of now, the Pelicans are struggling to consistently win games. So far, they have lost six of their last 10 games, sitting in the No. 14 spot in the Western Conference with a 6-18 record.
Zion Williamson may be expected to rejoin the team soon after months of recovering from his injury but if they want to have a realistic chance of reaching the postseason, they should still strongly consider upgrading their roster before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Kemba Walker To New Orleans Pelicans
One of the most realistic trade targets for the Pelicans this season is veteran point guard Kemba Walker of the New York Knicks. After Coach Tom Thibodeau moved him out of their official rotation, A. Sherrod Blakely of Bleacher Report revealed that the Knicks could explore moving Walker before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
However, before the Pelicans and the Knicks could push through with the trade, they would need to wait until mid-December since Walker just signed a new contract in the 2021 NBA free agency.
What The Pelicans Could Offer For Kemba Walker?
With his health issues and inconsistent performance in the 2021-22 NBA season, the Pelicans won’t need to pay the king’s ransom to convince the Knicks to send Walker to New Orleans before the 2022 NBA trade deadline. According to Jack Simone of Fansided’s Hoops Habit, the Pelicans could acquire Walker from the Knicks by simply offering them veteran point guard Tomas Satoransky.
If the Walker-for-Satoransky trade becomes a reality, Simone believes it would help the Pelicans and the Knicks in filling up the needs to improve on their roster.
Kemba Walker Boosts Pelicans' Playoff Odds
Though it would only cost them Satoransky, trading for Walker would still be a risky move for the Pelicans. However, if he could stay healthy throughout the 2021-22 NBA season, he would undeniably be a huge help for the Pelicans in achieving their goal to return to the playoffs next year.
Walker would give the Pelicans a very reliable scoring option behind Williamson and Brandon Ingram as well as a veteran playmaker and floor-spacer. This season, he’s averaging 11.7 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. Those numbers are expected to further improve once he starts playing for a team that could give him more playing time and a significant role on the offensive end of the floor.
Kemba Walker & Knicks Better Off Ending Partnership
Going into separate directions might really be what is best for Walker and the Knicks. As of now, it’s crystal clear that Walker isn’t the player that Thibodeau needs to help the Knicks become a more competitive team in the Eastern Conference this season. Satoransky may not be expected to receive significant playing time in New York but with his contract expiring after the season, he would enable the Knicks to open up some salary-cap flexibility in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, though joining the Pelicans won’t put him closer to winning his first NBA championship title, taking his talent to New Orleans is still better for Walker than spending the reason of the season rotting on the Knicks’ bench.
]]>The Inquisitr
