“Charlotte Hornets consider trading No. 2 pick to New Orleans Pelicans.”
New Orleans is interested in guard Scott Henderson, which is why they are rumored to be trading up in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. The target is to trade small forward Brandon Ingram or power forward Zion Williamson for the No. 2 pick to the Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA draft takes place Thursday in Chicago. The Pelicans currently have the No. 14 pick, but need to work out an enticing trade package for the No. 2 pick so they can select Henderson.
The Hornets were 27-55 last season, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference. They were the fourth-worst team overall in the NBA but received the second overall pick through the NBA Draft Lottery.
The Pelicans ranked 10th last season with a record of 42-40. They qualified for the Western Conference playoffs but fell short of the eighth seed.
The Hornets have a +60,000 chance to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship. They sit at the bottom of DraftKings' futures list, along with the Detroit Pistons (+60,000) and the Washington Wizards (+60,000), who recently traded Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns.
The Pelicans have +4000 odds of winning the title next season, and they're in the middle of the pack in the future standings.
Betting on the 2023 NBA Draft
The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery and received the first overall pick. French youngster Victor Wembanyama is expected to be selected as Tottenham's first choice goalkeeper.
DraftKings is betting on the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, with Wembanya becoming the overwhelming favorite at -20,000 odds.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama is considered a "once-in-a-generation talent" and has been compared to Hall of Fame center Tim Duncan. Wembunyama has been the most popular prospect since LeBron James was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005.
The NBA implemented a gap year policy in 2006 to prevent high school stars from joining the league directly. In the one-and-done era, future rookies have the opportunity to play college ball in the NBA Development League or play professional basketball overseas.
Henderson is a 6-foot-2 guard who did not attend college last season but instead played for the NBA G League Ignite. Henderson is the favorite to finish second at -150. His odds of being seeded No. 3 are +110 and odds of being No. 1 are +5,000.
6-foot-2 forward Brandon Miller is the third-place betting favorite at -145. He has a +110 chance of being drafted second overall.
Miller played one season at Alabama. He was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. He was also a consensus second-team All-American.
Pelicans pay attention to Scoot, Hornets want Ingram
The Hornets already have a star point guard in LaMelo Ball, which is why they are not interested in Henderson. They interviewed Henderson and Miller last week and were leaning toward signing Miller because he's a forward.
The Pelicans like Henderson, which is why they want to negotiate a trade with the Hornets to get the No. 2 pick. The Hornets have been linked to Ingram and Williamson from the Pelicans, but New Orleans fans would prefer to play another season with their star forward.
The Athletic's Shams Charania weighed in on the trade rumors during a guest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
What I'm hearing is I don't know if the Hornets want Zion Williamson," Charania said. "From what I hear, the Hornets want Brandon Ingram. "
The Pelicans are willing to trade Williamson to the Hornets, but they want to keep Ingram. The Hornets want Ingram but are reportedly not interested in Williamson.
The Pelicans selected Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. In the 2016 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Ingram with the second overall pick in the first round. Ingram spent three seasons with the Lakers before being traded to the Pelicans as part of the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis.
Ingram averaged 24.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game last season. He also shot 39% from three-point range. He missed nearly half the season with a toe injury but was more durable than Williamson.
Zion’s health issues reduce trade value
ESPN created a hypothetical trade in which the Pelicans would receive the No. 2 pick and forward Gordon Hayward in exchange for Williamson and a 2025 first-round pick (via the Milwaukee Bucks). Williamson played college ball at Duke, so he could return to North Carolina if the Pelicans trade him to the Hornets. He became an internet sensation while attending high school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, just 75 miles from Bath.
Williamson has played in only 114 games since joining the Pelicans. He missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a foot injury. Williamson played 29 games in the 2022-23 season and missed 53 games with a hamstring injury.
When healthy, Williamson is an All-Star. In December, with a healthy Williamson leading the way, the Pelicans were first in the Western Conference. In the first quarter of the season, he averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, and was selected to the All-Star team.
Williamson injured his right hamstring in the first week of January. He was only expected to miss three weeks, but he was sidelined for the remainder of the season. He suffered several setbacks during his recovery, re-aggravating his hamstring injury. There were rumors in March that Williamson would return before the playoffs, but the Pelicans never gave him the green light.
Without Williamson and Ingram, who suffered toe injuries, the Pelicans collapsed, ranking tenth in the Western Conference with a record of 42 wins and 20 losses. The Pelicans were eliminated after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in round and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Read also:
- Games Industry Research: Carbon Emissions of Top Video Games
- U.S. cities with the most Swifties per capita
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
Source: www.casino.org
