Pelicans likely to trade their former lottery pick?

As the New Orleans Pelicans continue to waffle on Zion Williamson’s future, they may be taking more decisive action with a different player.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote this week on Substack that guard Kira Lewis Jr. appears to be the most likely Pelicans player to be traded this summer. Stein notes that New Orleans is trying to get under the luxury tax and thus are looking at dumping Lewis, who is owed $5.7 million next year.

The 22-year-old point guard Lewis was the Pelicans’ lottery pick in 2020 (No. 13 overall). But he hasn’t gotten his NBA career off the ground with just 5.8 points and 1.9 assists a game over three seasons with New Orleans. The road to future playing time isn’t there for Lewis either, with CJ McCollum and (likely) Trey Murphy III starting in the backcourt next season. The Pelicans also still have Jose Alvarado off the bench and drafted former UConn guard Jordan Hawkins in the lottery this year too.

As a mediocre team that went 42-40 last season and lost in the play-in tournament, New Orleans obviously does not want to be saddled with a luxury-tax bill. It is particularly so with the continued uncertainty over Williamson, and Lewis could be the collateral damage as a result.