Offseason Grades - New Orleans Pelicans

[bondom34]

Going to start up on the next division before finishing the Pacific (again posting this today in case I miss a day later this week ).
But to start it off, the Pelicans.

K_Chile22's Offseason Grade:
New Orleans Pelicans transactions

Front office
Replaced coach Stan Van Gundy with Willie Green.

Draft
Drafted Trey Murphy III with pick #17 (acquired from MEM).
Drafted Herbert Jones with pick #35.

Trades
Traded Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Wes Iwundu, pick #10, pick #40, protected 2022 own pick, protected 2022 Lakers' pick and cash for Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte Graham (S&T, 4/$48M), and pick #51 in a 4-team trade.
Traded pick #43 to Portland for future 2nd and cash.
Traded pick #51 to LA Clippers for future 2nd.
Traded pick #53 to Philadelphia for cash.
Sign-and-traded Lonzo Ball for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (S&T, 3/$15M), future 2nd and cash.

Free agency
Acquired Devonte Graham in S&T as above.
Acquired Garrett Temple in S&T as above.
Re-signed Didi Louzada, 4/$8M.
Re-signed Willy Hernangomez, 3/$7M.
Re-signed Josh Hart, 3/$39 (2nd year NG, 3rd year {P

Offseason Thoughts

Weird offseason. Draft was solid, really like TMIII. The first trade is a bit weird. Dumped a bunch of salary only to operate as an over the cap team and likely stay the same next year. Suppose JVal makes them a little better, and Graham will help, but still not sold on him as a starter on a good team. Hated it a lot more at first before finding out about the protections on their own pick they sent out.
Got caught having too many seconds, were mostly able to just roll the assets forward though. Another thing I don't get is: if you're going to be over the cap for the foreseeable future, just pay lonzo. Think they would have been better now and in the future with him instead of Sato and Temple, and the opportunity cost of keeping him was small.
Did well on the Hart deal.
Overall feel like they're panicking with Zion breathing down the FOs neck.

Grade
D+. Like picking up TMIII and keeping Hart, but not enough to not give them a negative grade when I really didn't like the rest here.
2022 Prediction

Offseason in gif form


Mamba4Goat's offseason grade:
New Orleans Pelicans transactions

Front office
Replaced coach Stan Van Gundy with Willie Green.

Draft
Drafted Trey Murphy III with pick #17 (acquired from MEM).
Drafted Herbert Jones with pick #35.

Trades
Traded Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Wes Iwundu, pick #10, pick #40, protected 2022 own pick, protected 2022 Lakers' pick and cash for Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte Graham (S&T, 4/$48M), and pick #51 in a 4-team trade.
Traded pick #43 to Portland for future 2nd and cash.
Traded pick #51 to LA Clippers for future 2nd.
Traded pick #53 to Philadelphia for cash.
Sign-and-traded Lonzo Ball for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (S&T, 3/$15M), future 2nd and cash.

Free agency
Acquired Devonte Graham in S&T as above.
Acquired Garrett Temple in S&T as above.
Re-signed Didi Louzada, 4/$8M.
Re-signed Willy Hernangomez, 3/$7M.
Re-signed Josh Hart, 3/$39 (2nd year NG, 3rd year {P

Offseason Thoughts
I enjoyed their draft--Trey Murphy is a great fit and Herb Jones is another great flyer like Naji Marshall last year. The Josh Hart deal was very team-friendly which is great for them as well. It was weird that they gave up more for Graham than they received for Lonzo, letting him go for that small of a price and replacing him with Graham is also a thumbs down on my end. Having Graham's creation and spacing will be great for the offense though.
The Val trade was trading a bad fit next to Zion for a better bad fit(?). It's great that the FO wasn't stubborn about a mistake (the Adams extension) at least. One major thing to look forward to is that they have a direct-ish path to max cap space before Zion's rookie deal ends.

Grade
C
I'm underwhelmed by what is ultimately a middle of the road offseason. I think they got themselves closer to missing the play-in game than being a playoff team.
2022 Prediction
8-12 seed.
Offseason in gif form


bondom34's offseason grade:

New Orleans Pelicans transactions

Front office
Replaced coach Stan Van Gundy with Willie Green.

Draft
Drafted Trey Murphy III with pick #17 (acquired from MEM).
Drafted Herbert Jones with pick #35.

Trades
Traded Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Wes Iwundu, pick #10, pick #40, protected 2022 own pick, protected 2022 Lakers' pick and cash for Jonas Valanciunas, Devonte Graham (S&T, 4/$48M), and pick #51 in a 4-team trade.
Traded pick #43 to Portland for future 2nd and cash.
Traded pick #51 to LA Clippers for future 2nd.
Traded pick #53 to Philadelphia for cash.
Sign-and-traded Lonzo Ball for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (S&T, 3/$15M), future 2nd and cash.

Free agency
Acquired Devonte Graham in S&T as above.
Acquired Garrett Temple in S&T as above.
Re-signed Didi Louzada, 4/$8M.
Re-signed Willy Hernangomez, 3/$7M.
Re-signed Josh Hart, 3/$39 (2nd year NG, 3rd year

Offseason Thoughts
Another eventful offseason in what feels like many recently for the Pelicans. The coaching change seemed a matter of SVG just really not fitting in with these players, and will be honest I know pretty much nothing of Green in terms of coaching candidates so can't say much there.

Draft wise I liked the Murphy pick, and might be a guy to contribute fairly soon. They ended up with a solid potentially "win now" prospect despite trading back which felt like a win, and I do think Val is an upgrade on Adams even though this trade was strange to a point I can't really grade it overly positively for them.

The reasoning for that is because to start they let Lonzo Ball walk just to bring in Graham in a sign and trade on what's actually a good contract but a clear downgrade in player. They did that to upgrade a little to get an expiring center while trading back and giving up a future first and protected first (I'm guessing 2 2nds so that part is fairly minor). But overall spending a first, 2 2nds, trading back and getting cash to make moves that I think ended in an overall downgrade seems like bad business. Then trading 2nds for cash and/or future 2nds is just a little value loss in ways that make me uneasy as a fan.

On to the remaining free agents, despite initial reporting the Hart deal is pretty cheap. The rest are mostly fine to good, even if Graham is a 4th guard its cheap but I don't like downgrading and moving assets to do this either. I've heard it said elsewhere but even if the results weren't the worst the process was bad.

Grade
D+, the results weren't the worst but individual moves were confounding and they wasted assets to stay the same, feels looking at it like it didn't end terribly (editing this, think this is the grade I'd go with)
2022 Prediction
Play in team in the West

Offseason in gif form

[Texas Chuck]

I have just no idea here. Van Gundy wasn't working but I know basically nothing of what Green brings to the table.

JV is a better offensive player than Adams, but I don't know how he and Zion both operate offensively. Plus they have BI who needs a bunch of shots plus they brought in Graham who is an offense only guy. Some talented guys, but I don't understand the fit.

Murphy feels overdrafted but I like the player so I'm fine with that. Pushing other picks back seems smart.

Moving on from Ball since he didn't want to be there is fine and I guess Sato and Temple provide some veteran stability?

But how do they defend anybody? I know a lot of people love NAW and Hart but that still feels like a hole in the lineup. They simply had too many extra assets and a need to get Zion into the playoffs to have stopped here. I mean just keep pick 10 if this is it.

It's almost like they had really bad intel that Lowry was coming even though we all knew before the draft the Miami deal was done. But this off-season makes sense had Lowry came. But that was clearly never happening and they seemingly had no pivot ready.

C-, D? IDK. not good though

[MKWB]

I could see them having a season like the Knicks or Hawks just had. Surprise team that gels at the right time. It could go the other way and struggle again, of course. What offseason grades did NYK, ATL, and PHX get last season? Not many could have predicted their success.

But I see them making the playoffs, and we'll all look back on these moves as shrewd ones that will pay off. With a lot of expiring contracts, picks and young players, they will be in the mix for a big move at the trade deadline if a good one becomes available.

[MKWB]

Seems like losing Lonzo Ball is the main problem many had with their offseason. But fans who actually watched the team the past 2 seasons are happy he's gone.

1) The name is bigger than his game. He's not that great, and he's not a great fit on this team. He doesn't drive to the basket, can't finish well at the rim. 3pt % went up, but when you watch the games, he hardly ever hits 3's late in the game or at clutch times. Struggles shooting them off the dribble.

2) Pels staff feel that NAW is ready to contribute at the level Ball was playing at, with the potential to be even better.

3) His agent is Klutch. The same agent that forced his star player out of New O, and currently is forcing his star player out of another team in a messy, public breakup. Griff and the team (and fans) don't want that drama. Remember Ball's play in the bubble? Very similar to the horrendous showing BS just had in Philly. If that happened again this season? Stakes too high, and frankly he isn't good enough to be worth the major distraction. The team would have to keep up the illusion of a 'big-3' of Z/BI/Lonzo, and keep checking on Ball's ego, while now they can focus on building around their big 2 (or maybe big 1.7).

[DroseReturnChi]

mixed result. made some questionable moves giving up picks for graham but then hes cheap and they drafted a steal better than memphis so its a wash.

[giberish]

I'm iffy on letting Ball go. The contract was mildly high but not unreasonable and the Pels need as much defense as they can get.

My biggest issue with the Pels team-building remains their guard glut. IMO their defense and overall quality would be improved with Ingram at guard. He's enough of a playmaker that - especially combined with Zion's playmaking - they don't need two other guards on the court with him. Yet even letting Ball go, they continue to draft and trade for more guards. Graham's decent value but a poor fit, especially if they're expecting NAW to be taking a bigger role as well. Letting Ball go to shift Ingram to guard and add another forward would have made sense in a way that swapping Ball for Graham doesn't.

Hart's the closest thing to a 3&D forward to compliment Zion and Ingram so it's good to keep him, even if he's undersized for the role. The contract does feel like an overpay though as low-usage defense-first role players usually don't get much money and there wasn't any competition.

[MKWB]

Hart's the closest thing to a 3&D forward to compliment Zion and Ingram so it's good to keep him, even if he's undersized for the role. The contract does feel like an overpay though as low-usage defense-first role players usually don't get much money and there wasn't any competition.

You know only year 1 of Hart's contract is guaranteed, right? With 2 more seasons of team+player options. Very tradeable.

Pels have 3 big expirings: Hart (12 mil.) , Satoransky (10 mil.) , Jonas (14 mil.) . Plus, the 17 mil. TPE.

Would like a Hart + Sato + picks for J. Grant trade at the deadline.

[babyjax13]

They still have no direction around Zion and Ingram, and that's absolutely inexcusable. You are telling me that Val is a good fit with him on offense/defense, or that Graham is a good fit on defense? I think the Pelicans are going to struggle to score, and have the worst pnr defense in the West with this roster construction. The guards in the west are just going to demolish them. Mitchell, Booker, and Dame might all average 45ppg against them. I also hate that they put another player in front of Jaxson Hayes who is a worse fit next to Zion than Hayes (albeit Hayes did NOT have a good summer). I want to see them pivot hard. Look for a center who can defend the PnR and hit an open three (and for god's sake it doesn't have to be someone crazy, Xavier Tillman would be a great fit for 25 of Zion's minutes a night), get a starting caliber guard that can defend at a high level (not a borderline starter like Hart, who I do love as a player), and clear out these veterans who won't be around long-term for any asset you can get.

I'll go D+ on this one, as well.

[Mamba4Goat]

They kind of feel like they’re playing 2K and just grabbing the guy with the best overall rating and not looking into much else.

[HornetJail]

Letting Lonzo walk for $21M and bringing in Graham at $12M while only giving up a non-lottery 1st that has < 50/50 chance at conveying is a big win. NOLA should be very happy about their PG situation, and will see the difference immediately.

The rest of the moves were iffy at best, I think. They definitely didn't do enough to break into the top 6 and guarantee a playoff spot, and could very realistically miss the play-in game altogether.

Valanciunas is a strange fit with Zion- you want a big man with range or great rim protection next to Zion and Jonas does neither of those. I hope their minutes are staggered so that NOLA has an offensive weapon when Zion's off the floor, but the minutes they play together figure to be an awkward mess of no spacing and mediocre defense. I get that part of the trade was to just offload Bledsoe and Adams, but rolling with Val instead of flipping him again for a different big man makes no sense to me.

I don't think anybody else they picked up is even worth noting. I'll withhold judgment on the draft picks since I know nothing about either player.

I'm going with a C+ , propped up mostly by swindling Devonte' Graham from the Hornets (who for the record, I believe will be averaging around 18/9 and top 5 volume 3P shooting playing alongside Zion/BI), but aside from that, lack of direction and weird fits all over the roster, I can't go higher than this. I expected them to go after every good player on the market with their war chest of picks from the AD and Jrue trades to try to get some immediate help, or go the other way and try a mini-tank to get some more ammunition next to Zion, but wound up doing nothing and staying an outside-looking-in team in the West. This rockets up to a B+ or so if they do turn around and offer their exps and multiple 1sts for a good player that fits the team during the season, but for now ... Zion deserves better.

[MKWB]

What would a successful offseason have looked like for this team? Knowing that no key free agent wanted to come sign there, and knowing that other teams weren't trading their good players for a reasonable offer.

Seems like Griff tried for the big moves (Lowry, etc.), but then when no major signing/trade materialized, they pivoted to add a few good complimentary players, while still keeping most of their major assets for a major trade later on.

So what kind of signings or trades would you have made as GM of the Pelicans, to get a B or A offseason grade? Knowing that other teams have to mutually agree to the trade you want, and meet that team's asking price.

[meekrab]

The front office is seemingly 100% locked in to their role as farm team for bigger markets.

[MKWB]

The front office is seemingly 100% locked in to their role as farm team for bigger markets.

Yea, that's probably their big plan.

[Ballerhogger]

Hit on the head on this one I mean it’s good they got rid of bledose don’t know why they traded for him in the first place . I’ll give them B. I expect 8-12 result. I think they could get in the playoffs

[babyjax13]

What would a successful offseason have looked like for this team?

Build a team where the pieces fit together. That means good spacing in the starting lineup outside of Zion, and hopefully a center that can defend the PnR. I also think they lost on value: yes, Graham is a good player, but they traded a first round pick to get him and got nothing significant out of the Chicago deal. They should have kept Ball, then dealt him for real value if they didn't actually want him, not a backup point guard and a 35 year old 3rd string shooting guard/small forward (I love Temple, but this is the reality of his position on their depth chart, unless they let him cannibalize minutes from Trey Murphy).

[MKWB]

What would a successful offseason have looked like for this team?

Build a team where the pieces fit together. That means good spacing in the starting lineup outside of Zion, and hopefully a center that can defend the PnR. I also think they lost on value: yes, Graham is a good player, but they traded a first round pick to get him and got nothing significant out of the Chicago deal. They should have kept Ball, then dealt him for real value if they didn't actually want him, not a backup point guard and a 35 year old 3rd string shooting guard/small forward (I love Temple, but this is the reality of his position on their depth chart, unless they let him cannibalize minutes from Trey Murphy).

Okay, those are understandable opinions to have. But can you be more specific? Give us some actual hypothetical trades/signings that both teams/players would have agreed to. So far, I see you would have liked them to re-sign Ball and not trade for Graham (CHA would have matched the offer if not for the pick, which is lotto protected this season, then turns into two future 2nds if Pels land in lotto).

[MKWB]

What would a successful offseason have looked like for this team?

Build a team where the pieces fit together. That means good spacing in the starting lineup outside of Zion, and hopefully a center that can defend the PnR. I also think they lost on value: yes, Graham is a good player, but they traded a first round pick to get him and got nothing significant out of the Chicago deal. They should have kept Ball, then dealt him for real value if they didn't actually want him, not a backup point guard and a 35 year old 3rd string shooting guard/small forward (I love Temple, but this is the reality of his position on their depth chart, unless they let him cannibalize minutes from Trey Murphy).

So which available players should they have traded for / signed that would fulfill those requirements for good spacing in the starting line-up, and a center who can defend the PnR?

[babyjax13]

What would a successful offseason have looked like for this team?

Build a team where the pieces fit together. That means good spacing in the starting lineup outside of Zion, and hopefully a center that can defend the PnR. I also think they lost on value: yes, Graham is a good player, but they traded a first round pick to get him and got nothing significant out of the Chicago deal. They should have kept Ball, then dealt him for real value if they didn't actually want him, not a backup point guard and a 35 year old 3rd string shooting guard/small forward (I love Temple, but this is the reality of his position on their depth chart, unless they let him cannibalize minutes from Trey Murphy).

Okay, those are understandable opinions to have. But can you be more specific? Give us some actual hypothetical trades/signings that both teams/players would have agreed to. So far, I see you would have liked them to re-sign Ball and not trade for Graham (CHA would have matched the offer if not for the pick, which is lotto protected this season, then turns into two future 2nds if Pels land in lotto).

Sure!

Ball:
I don't super mind the Ball deal if New Orleans can either extract a first, or a valuableish young player from Chicago who is worth a first. So, I think the move was to demand Coby White, otherwise keep Ball or see if there were other S+T options. Heck, maybe they could have done Ball for Graham + the Martin twins and called it a day? Let's just say that was an option, seems close to realistic enough.

Graham:
I also don't really mind this, because Graham is a great fit on offense next to Zion, but I am worried about what their defense looks like. But, I do think we see what they think of Kira Lewis.

Valanciunas:
I also don't mind this trade if they were able to send Val to a third team, hopefully for an expiring but at least for a player at another position. The Adams signing was terrible, so I actually think you have to do this deal to get out from under him, but Val is just not a stylistic fit. I feel like Toronto could use him back, so Val for Dragic + 2 2nds, then buy out Dragic. I actually thing Boucher could have been an interesting player for them, too. If they are giving up on Lewis and Hayes it seems like those could be interesting reclamation projects for Toronto. It's not like either guy was terrible. So technically two separate trades, but...

Jonas Valanciunas, Kira Lewis, Jaxson Hayes
for
Goran Dragic, Chris Boucher, 2023 TOR 2nd, 2025 TOR 2nd (or better yet, see if there is a way to turn those 2nds into Malachi Flynn)

Hart:
Yes, keep him.

Draft:
I like what they did here, but Moses Moody was just such a perfect fit for them, I probably would have preferred him, and for the sake of projecting a depth chart, I'll put him in (he reminds me a lot of KCP). So, realisticish offseason results:

Devonte' Graham/Nickiel Alexander-Walker
Moses Moody/Nickiel Alexander-Walker/Cody Martin
Brandon Ingram/Josh Hart/Herb Jones
Zion Williamson/???
Chris Boucher/???/Willy Hernangomez

I don't think that end result is too crazy, and I think the lineup plays to Zion's strengths better than what they have. If they could get Malachi Flynn in the trade I suggested above instead of the 2nds, even better.

[MKWB]

Sure!

Ball:
I don't super mind the Ball deal if New Orleans can either extract a first, or a valuableish young player from Chicago who is worth a first. So, I think the move was to demand Coby White, otherwise keep Ball or see if there were other S+T options. Heck, maybe they could have done Ball for Graham + the Martin twins and called it a day? Let's just say that was an option, seems close to realistic enough.

Okay, you would demand Coby White. Why do you think Langdon/Griffin didn't demand him? Probably because they're more invested in giving valuable development minutes to NAW and Lewis Jr.
Coby White isn't a major upgrade over those two, if at all.

"maybe they could have done.." That's assuming CHA wanted to sign Ball2, which they obviously didn't or else they would have made the best offer to sign him. Remember, Pels structured the deal the way they did (S&T with CHI, then Graham S&T was tied into the MEM deal) and created a $17 TPE, and also Satoransky and Temple who can be added as extra salary in a trade. And also add veteran depth and leadership (Temple has deep ties to Louisiana). In your scenario there would only be a small TPE, and no extra salary players for a deadline trade.

"Let's just say that was an option..." And here is the thing with fan reactions and grades. We don't know the options that are available. So a bad draft grade assumes that a GM had better options on the table, but chose the worse option. Seems very short-sighted. We should seek to "put ourselves in their shoes," and understand the potential why's of decisions. There's so many factors involved. Nuances are important.

Valanciunas:
I feel like Toronto could use him back, so Val for Dragic + 2 2nds, then buy out Dragic. I actually thing Boucher could have been an interesting player for them, too. If they are giving up on Lewis and Hayes it seems like those could be interesting reclamation projects for Toronto. It's not like either guy was terrible. So technically two separate trades, but...

Jonas Valanciunas, Kira Lewis, Jaxson Hayes
for
Goran Dragic, Chris Boucher, 2023 TOR 2nd, 2025 TOR 2nd (or better yet, see if there is a way to turn those 2nds into Malachi Flynn)

So you would have traded the Val, the high-level center who has helped a young team reached the playoffs/in the past 2 seasons, and who advanced stats are very high on--- you would trade him for two 2nd round picks, and dead cap space (Dragic buyout). That doesn't seem reasonable at all for a team trying to compete and make the playoffs. And why would Toronto want him back?

Then you would have expanded that trade to give up their 2 recent lotto picked players who the Pels have spent years of development on and remain high on, to take back a 28 year-old player who hasn't been a starter, on a 1 year contract. That doesn't seem very logical when you break it down like that. All because Boucher can shoot 3's as a big man. And again, this is all operating under the assumption that 1) Toronto/Masai was open to trading Chris Boucher, and 2) the asking price was reasonable and deemed worth the cost for the Pelicans. Big assumptions.

Draft:
I like what they did here, but Moses Moody was just such a perfect fit for them, I probably would have preferred him, and for the sake of projecting a depth chart, I'll put him in (he reminds me a lot of KCP). So, realisticish offseason results:

Devonte' Graham/Nickiel Alexander-Walker
Moses Moody/Nickiel Alexander-Walker/Cody Martin
Brandon Ingram/Josh Hart/Herb Jones
Zion Williamson/???
Chris Boucher/???/Willy Hernangomez

I don't think that end result is too crazy, and I think the lineup plays to Zion's strengths better than what they have. If they could get Malachi Flynn in the trade I suggested above instead of the 2nds, even better.

Okay, so you would have preferred Moody, who was only available if the Pels stayed at #10. In which case, they would still have Adams and Bledsoe's contracts and bad fits, or have to move them with value in a separate deal. And we must assume that the team extensively scouted these players for years. From summer league, Murphy III looks just as good, if not better than Moody. But Murphy's advanced defense was a much better fit for the team. Moody also is represented by Klutch, who I'm sure the Pels management would rather not have to deal with, if the compared players are close. Also, starting a rookie when you're trying to win-now for Zion, doesn't seem logical in the realities of the NBA.

So overall, your plan to make this offseason from D+ to a B or A grade (assuming you would give your own offseason plan a high grade), is:

Out: Valuncunias, Hayes, Lewis Jr., Satoransky, Temple, Murphy III

In: Boucher, Moody, Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, Bledsoe, Adams, 2nd round picks, Pels 2022 1st (lotto protected), LAL 2022 1st.

Yea that doesn't make much sense.

But I appreciate your response to go along this thought experiment. These trade threads would be much more interesting if we take a more nuanced approach other than, 'that GM must be dumb to do / not do that trade/signing.'

[babyjax13]

Sure!

Ball:
I don't super mind the Ball deal if New Orleans can either extract a first, or a valuableish young player from Chicago who is worth a first. So, I think the move was to demand Coby White, otherwise keep Ball or see if there were other S+T options. Heck, maybe they could have done Ball for Graham + the Martin twins and called it a day? Let's just say that was an option, seems close to realistic enough.

Okay, you would demand Coby White. Why do you think Langdon/Griffin didn't demand him? Probably because they're more invested in giving valuable development minutes to NAW and Lewis Jr.
Coby White isn't a major upgrade over those two, if at all.

"maybe they could have done.." That's assuming CHA wanted to sign Ball2, which they obviously didn't or else they would have made the best offer to sign him. Remember, Pels structured the deal the way they did (S&T with CHI, then Graham S&T was tied into the MEM deal) and created a $17 TPE, and also Satoransky and Temple who can be added as extra salary in a trade. And also add veteran depth and leadership (Temple has deep ties to Louisiana). In your scenario there would only be a small TPE, and no extra salary players for a deadline trade.

"Let's just say that was an option..." And here is the thing with fan reactions and grades. We don't know the options that are available. So a bad draft grade assumes that a GM had better options on the table, but chose the worse option. Seems very short-sighted. We should seek to "put ourselves in their shoes," and understand the potential why's of decisions. There's so many factors involved. Nuances are important.

Valanciunas:
I feel like Toronto could use him back, so Val for Dragic + 2 2nds, then buy out Dragic. I actually thing Boucher could have been an interesting player for them, too. If they are giving up on Lewis and Hayes it seems like those could be interesting reclamation projects for Toronto. It's not like either guy was terrible. So technically two separate trades, but...

Jonas Valanciunas, Kira Lewis, Jaxson Hayes
for
Goran Dragic, Chris Boucher, 2023 TOR 2nd, 2025 TOR 2nd (or better yet, see if there is a way to turn those 2nds into Malachi Flynn)

So you would have traded the Val, the high-level center who has helped a young team reached the playoffs/in the past 2 seasons, and who advanced stats are very high on--- you would trade him for two 2nd round picks, and dead cap space (Dragic buyout). That doesn't seem reasonable at all for a team trying to compete and make the playoffs. And why would Toronto want him back?

Then you would have expanded that trade to give up their 2 recent lotto picked players who the Pels have spent years of development on and remain high on, to take back a 28 year-old player who hasn't been a starter, on a 1 year contract. That doesn't seem very logical when you break it down like that. All because Boucher can shoot 3's as a big man. And again, this is all operating under the assumption that 1) Toronto/Masai was open to trading Chris Boucher, and 2) the asking price was reasonable and deemed worth the cost for the Pelicans. Big assumptions.

Draft:
I like what they did here, but Moses Moody was just such a perfect fit for them, I probably would have preferred him, and for the sake of projecting a depth chart, I'll put him in (he reminds me a lot of KCP). So, realisticish offseason results:

Devonte' Graham/Nickiel Alexander-Walker
Moses Moody/Nickiel Alexander-Walker/Cody Martin
Brandon Ingram/Josh Hart/Herb Jones
Zion Williamson/???
Chris Boucher/???/Willy Hernangomez

I don't think that end result is too crazy, and I think the lineup plays to Zion's strengths better than what they have. If they could get Malachi Flynn in the trade I suggested above instead of the 2nds, even better.

Okay, so you would have preferred Moody, who was only available if the Pels stayed at #10. In which case, they would still have Adams and Bledsoe's contracts and bad fits, or have to move them with value in a separate deal. And we must assume that the team extensively scouted these players for years. From summer league, Murphy III looks just as good, if not better than Moody. But Murphy's advanced defense was a much better fit for the team. Moody also is represented by Klutch, who I'm sure the Pels management would rather not have to deal with, if the compared players are close. Also, starting a rookie when you're trying to win-now for Zion, doesn't seem logical in the realities of the NBA.

So overall, your plan to make this offseason from D+ to a B or A grade (assuming you would give your own offseason plan a high grade), is:

Out: Valuncunias, Hayes, Lewis Jr., Satoransky, Temple, Murphy III

In: Boucher, Moody, Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, Bledsoe, Adams, 2nd round picks, Pels 2022 1st (lotto protected), LAL 2022 1st.

Yea that doesn't make much sense.

But I appreciate your response to go along this thought experiment. These trade threads would be much more interesting if we take a more nuanced approach other than, 'that GM must be dumb to do / not do that trade/signing.'

I'm not sure I'd give my offseason an A, but I think it's better than what they did by a pretty large margin. Valanciunas is a terrible fit with Zion and he got absolutely annihilated by Utah in the playoffs. He can't defend the pnr at all and can be played right off the court. Clearly New Orleans has little confidence in Lewis or Hayes, otherwise they wouldn't be burying them in their depth chart. I actually like Hayes quite a bit - not a fan of Lewis at all, just don't think he has any standout tools other than the hypothetical threat of elite downhill gravity, which I just don't think he has - but he's a poor fit with Zion, too. I just don't understand how someone could look at what New Orleans is doing and honestly say that they have built a team that maximizes their best player. They've got a couple guys who are (at least hypothetically) really good fits in Graham and Murphy, and Ingram is a good second option...but outside of those three they have a roster with almost no shooting. So, take or leave my trade ideas, but I think my overall criticism of what they've done is valid, and my point was that they didn't have to make a huge outlay to get some of those pieces.

Also, White is just miles better as a player than Kira Lewis (he was in college, he is in the pros), so I'm not sure why you are taking issue with that in particular especially when they can easily coexist in the depth chart. And if both of them end up being good...well, that's great! You have a combo-guard in White who can be your backup shooting guard, and hopefully a starter in Lewis. I get not wanting to move on from recent lottery picks, and maybe Boucher isn't the right guy, and I also get liking how draft day worked out - as I said, I thought they did a good job...but they needed to do something different.

Also, yah, Val for Dragic and two seconds sounds like a fantastic trade to me dependent on the buyout amount for Dragic. If you said you could get off Adams' contract by moving down a few spots in the draft and paying a $5 million buyout for a veteran but also pick up two reasonably valuable seconds, I think you'd call that a huge coup by any metric. Of course, it's just another example of having to clean up David Griffin's mistakes.