The picks are meant to be a swap, better to the Jazz
I don't see the Pelicans doing very well this year with the current roster. To me there are two glaring holes:
With no even average centers on the team, the small ball lineup of Zion/Herb/Whoever at the 5 will be getting a lot of run. I do not have faith in this lineup consistently winning its minutes. Especially in a division with Wemby, Edey, & Sengun, and a conference with Jokic, AD, Sabonis, Chet, etc. This team needs a traditional center to play at least half the game or so.
The Dejounte Murray pickup - as much as I hated the idea of it months ago - is something that I've warmed up to. I can see DJM being a key part of the Herb/TM3/Zion core. Unfortunately, Brandon Ingram just does not fit with those four, and in fact actively is a detriment to their development. He and Murray have overlapping play styles, he limits spacing for Zion, and takes minutes away from Herb & TM3.
Each of the six trades which I'll post until opening night will try and address both of these problems. They will start from worst to best.
To be clear: these are all mid-season trades. If the team is doing well as is in 2-3 months, there is no need to change anything.
Jazz
If Utah is set on developing their young guys with Lauri, maybe Danny Ainge wants to get another go-to scorer who has a different playstyle to Markkanen. I think that if they do choose to do this, BI & Lauri will fit miles better than BI & Zion ever did, or could. Admittedly, it would be a peculiar move to make in terms of timeline, but with how bad the Jazz will be this year regardless, and with how good the 2025 draft is, I can see this working. Any of the top picks in this coming draft, paired with BI, Lauri, Cody Williams, Keyonte George, and Taylor Hendricks could be a serious team in a few years. Just one idea for the course to take of course though.
Lineup
PG: Keyonte George / Isaiah Collier
SG: Collin Sexton / Jordan Clarkson
SF: Brandon Ingram / Cody Williams / Brice Sensabaugh
PF: Lauri Markkanen / Taylor Hendricks
C: Omer Yurtseven / Kyle Filipowski / Drew Eubanks
Pelicans
The Pels move on from BI and pick up a center who has very publicly been on the trade block all off season. Walker Kessler's youth, rebounding, and defense is exactly what New Orleans needs to fit next to the rest of their core. All he needs to do is block shots, run, and dunk. As the 5th starter he will have a very minor role where he doesn't need to do too much. With TM3 and Zion become plus defenders at the end of last season, coupled with an elite rim protector, a Point Guard who can hopefully find his way back to defensive excellence and the best perimeter defender in the NBA, that defense may be the best in the league. The vertical spacing that Kessler can provide will also help out the offense with another dimension that New Orleans hasn't had since AD left.
The departure of BI lets Herb and TM3 become the two wings and still allows for an effective small ball lineup in spurts.
Lineup:
PG: Dejounte Murray / Jose Alvarado / Antonio Reeves
SG: CJ McCollum / Jordan Hawkins / Javonte Green
SF: Herb Jones / Trey Murphy III (6M) / Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
PF: Zion Williamson / John Collins / Daniel Theis
C: Walker Kessler / Karlo Matkovic / Yves Missi