The Pelicans are actually a pretty interesting playoff team, and I don’t think they have a bad roster at all. To me, the biggest thing they’re missing is the right bigs to make Zion and Queen work together.

You need bigs who can shoot and give you some versatility, and that’s exactly what you get with PJ Washington and Jay Huff. You can play Queen at the 5, Zion at the 4, PJ at the 4/5, and Huff at the 5 depending on the matchup. That gives New Orleans a lot more flexibility without sacrificing spacing.

For Dallas, I know this trade looks a little crazy, but getting a first-round pick for taking on an expiring contract like Jordan Poole’s isn’t a bad outcome at all. They lose PJ, but they get an asset back and clear money.

And for the Pelicans, I don’t think it’s bad either. They’re turning Missi into two bigs who fit their roster better and give Zion and Queen a much better environment to play together.

Indiana getting Missi also makes sense because they get a young center with upside. So yeah, it’s definitely an absurd trade, but I actually think there’s a logic behind it for all four teams.