Buckle up basketball world, because things are getting spicy throughout the league as the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline is less than a week away.
As the clock ticks for all 30 NBA organizations, some are more desperate than others for a significant change.
One of those teams: The New Orleans Pelicans.
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The Pelicans (19-32) stand at 11th place in the Western Conference and are craving a major reshaping. New Orleans is seeking a “big-name guard” and has its eyes on Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst reported on "NBA Today" on Thursday.
Windhorst reported the Pelicans are also interested in Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum and Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon.
The potential trade could work for both sides.
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But in order for Sacramento to budge, the Kings would likely ask for Brandon Ingram or Josh Hart. The Pelicans recently have become more enticed with Kings veteran Harrison Barnes, and Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported the two organizations reopened a discussion of a possible sign-and-trade for Hart that was talked about last offseason.
In his fifth NBA season, Hart is playing his best ball with New Orleans. The 6-foot-5 26-year-old is averaging 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in just over 33 minutes.
And with rising star guards in Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Davion Mitchell, the Kings could more willing to part with Fox and instead invest in their two latest first-round draft picks.
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For Fox, he would be back performing in front of his friends and family in his hometown of NOLA. And when injuries aren’t a factor anymore, he would be playing alongside the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Zion Williamson, who hasn’t been able to stay healthy since landing in the league almost three years ago.
Both sides, who so badly need some type of drastic change to their squad, will need to make some pretty important decisions for the sake of the future of their franchises.