THE The New Orleans Pelicans ended up making a big trade this offseason. They were able to acquire Dejounte Murray in a big trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
However, it was reported that they attempted to make a move for another Eastern Conference guard.
According to a report by Ashish Mathur from WireThe Pelicans tried to make a trade with the The Cleveland Cavaliers for young starting point guard Darius Garland.
“The New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs attempted to trade Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland this summer, an NBA source told Hoops Wire. The Cavaliers told the Pelicans and Spurs they would not trade Garland, the source said.”
Garland would have been an interesting pick. It’s unclear if New Orleans wanted to pair Garland with Murray or if they turned to a trade for Murray after failing to land Garland.
During the 2023-24 NBA season with the Cavaliers, Garland played in 57 games. He averaged 18.0 points per game, along with 6.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
In addition to those averages, Garland shot 44.6 percent overall and made 37.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
Even though they didn’t sign him, the Pelicans appear to be in a very good position heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. They look like a team that could be a potential contender in the Western Conference.
For now, barring any other trades, they will have a “big four” of Zion Williamson, Murray, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. There is still a chance they trade Ingram.
Could these four players lead them to a great playoff career?
A lot of it will depend on Williamson, his health and his production.
If Williamson can stay on the field and play to his full potential, the possibilities are endless for New Orleans. However, if he is once again plagued by injury issues, the team will likely fall short of its goals.
That being said, hearing about their trade interest in Garland is interesting. However, they appear to have had a great offseason and are gearing up for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season which is coming very soon.
