NBA Trade Rumors: Why the New Orleans Pelicans May Be Thinking About Acquiring Iman Shumpert
Shumpert could fill an important void in the Pelicans' starting lineup
The 2017-18 NBA season will be a very important one for the New Orleans Pelicans as they try to figure out what is best for them moving forward.
Already, the Pelicans have signaled that this is going to be a meaningful year for them. They already doled out some prime assets to bring DeMarcus Cousins in for this full season and they even handed out a rich contract to guard Jrue Holiday to make sure they have enough talent to compete with the other playoff hopefuls out west.
Unfortunately, all those moves may not be enough to get them into the postseason, especially with the Western Conference looking as deep as it has ever been, which could explain why the Pelicans may be thinking about bringing in some reinforcements.
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According to a source spoken to recently by Basketball Insiders, the Pelicans are reportedly among the teams looking at Cleveland Cavaliers wing Iman Shumpert.
It makes plenty of sense as well that the Pelicans are looking in Shumpert's direction.
As mentioned earlier, this upcoming season has a make-or-break feel to it for the team, and so, bringing aboard as much talent as they can is a necessity.
Furthermore, Shumpert can actually fill a void for the Pelicans.
With forward Solomon Hill out several months after undergoing surgery to address an injured hamstring, the Pelicans are without an obvious candidate to start at small forward.
Shumpert's size and skillset could work well alongside the Pelicans' bigs Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. He is still seen by some as a passable defender and he also shot 36 percent from deep last season per Basketball Reference.
It also may not cost that much for the Pelicans to get Shumpert since the Cavaliers recently just executed a trade of their own that resulted in them acquiring a new wing player in Jae Crowder. Minutes are going to be hard to come by for Shumpert in Cleveland, so the team may be more willing to trade him now.
If this really is an all-in season for the Pelicans, then adding Shumpert may be a move they need to make.
More news about the latest NBA trade rumors should be made available soon.
