The New Orleans Pelicans have three names on their roster who should all be of interest for the Los Angeles Lakers during the summer: Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Yves Missi. If Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus had his way, each of them would be wearing purple and gold before the offseason ends.
Pincus suggested a swap between the two sides ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Lakers wound send out: Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht, the 25th overall pick in 2026, plus unprotected firsts in 2031 and 2033. In exchange, the Pelicans give up Murphy, Jones, and Missi.
That trade idea would effectively solve the Lakers' need for two-way upgrades on the wings, when factoring in the continued ability for Rob Pelinka to bring back his key players who are set to hit free agency. Los Angeles could run it back with their current team plus those improvements, helping to address depth concerns too.
There are still some flaws with that approach, as the Lakers would love to shake up their frontcourt with a new starting center. However, value-wise, Los Angeles would make out like gangbusters from this trade idea proposed by Pincus.
Pelicans trade would immediately help Lakers close the gap on real contenders
Watching the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs would have anyone feeling like there is a sizable gap between those two teams and the rest of the bracket on that side. Pelinka's task for the summer is to narrow those margins.
For many, that comes across as mission impossible, and understandably so. The Lakers need all the rotational help they can get to shore up their depth.
This hypothesized deal with the Pelicans allows for a perfect readjustment of the pecking order. Murphy slotting in as the starting forward beside Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves gives them their perfect lengthy defender who can also shoot the lights out from deep.
Having Jones off the bench adds a much more playable wing option than the likes of LaRavia and Vanderbilt, with all due respect to those two. Even Missi, who is still raw, can be molded into a legitimate center option to pair with Doncic.
If the Lakers manage to bring back the likes of Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and others as a result, suddenly their rotation starts to look so much better. At worst, they would be right behind the Spurs and Thunder after this deal.
On the Pelicans' side, Pincus did note that the perceived lack of value from trading some of their best assets to the Lakers comes down to two notable factors. 'Significant overhaul' is expected under Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver this summer for one.
To go with that, Pincus added, "The Pelicans may find a tight market for first-round picks under the league's new (unofficial) lottery system."
The latter explains the feeling most will have looking at the light return of draft capital in this deal, despite the Pelicans asking for a lot more during the 2025-26 season. That would theoretically open the door for a willing team like the Lakers to gamble with their draft future.
The bet here is a good one for the Lakers. It only really leaves them with the challenge of finding a new starter at center. If that can be solved, this Pelicans trade would solve an abundance of issues for them. If only Pincus was running the front office in New Orleans...
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